Angus had lost track of his younger brother through the years. He’d been too busy trying to clear the jungles of Vietnam out of his brain. And now Earl is dead, his body found on the Manhattan waterfront, in one of the West Village’s notorious gay cruising areas.
Recent photos of Earl before he died show a sweet, laughing face, surrounded by the feathery blond curls of a cherub. His diary reveals a life on the street, a needle in his arm, his body wracked with drugs paid for by men wanting love in return.
Angus’s grim journey into his brother’s brief life leads him to a dark corner of society he never knew existed, and the dark corners of his own soul he wishes he could forget.
When originally published, A Brother’s Touch was lauded and condemned. Now 20 years after its first printing, this timeless story is more vital and readable than ever.
Anonymous
Posted May 20, 2002
A friend gave me this book when we were having problems with our teenage son, who wouldn't listen and threatened to leave home. The book opened my eyes to the things that can happen to kids who run away and find themselves living on the streets. They're not prepared and sometimes have to make rough choices. I gave the book to my son and it opened his eyes as well. Fortunately we worked things out and he stayed in school, unlike the poor boy in the novel, who is confronted with the dangerous situations and characters that face runaways. I would recommend this novel to parents and teenagers alike. It's well-written and seems as urgent today as the first time I read it.
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Posted May 21, 2002
I was really glad to see that this book was being re-issued. I read it when I was a teenager and found it very helpful in figuring out some of the things that were going on in my life then. Though it tells the story about what happens to a young throwaway kid in the big bad city, it's also a picture of gay life and the struggle for political equality. For someone who grew up in a small town who now lives in New York, it was a good introduction to the city and the scene for me. I reread it many times and gave it to a couple of friends who were also trying to navigate the hard road to self identity. I would recommend this as a good read for all ages and orientations.
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Overview
Angus had lost track of his younger brother through the years. He’d been too busy trying to clear the jungles of Vietnam out of his brain. And now Earl is dead, his body found on the Manhattan waterfront, in one of the West Village’s notorious gay cruising areas.
Recent photos of Earl before he died show a sweet, laughing face, surrounded by the feathery ...