Reviews

Nowadays there are so many anthologies dealing with gay and lesbian topics that it is almost impossible to find an unfilled niche. But writer, poet, and teacher Harvey (Journey in Ladakh, LJ 6/15/83) has discovered a rich vein in this collection of spiritually tinged texts. The key insight informing his selections here is that the Source of all Godhead is both masculine and feminine and exists in a unity that includes both. The homosexual can be thought to mirror this unity and viewed as enigmatic fertility and power in a special way. Appropriately and wisely, the selections are geographically diverse and come from many different religious traditions. In some instances, the writers are not strictly speaking believers at all. Among historical texts, the reader finds that the selections are all open gay and lesbian readings, though they have not traditionally been given such interpretations. Recommended for both academic and public religion collections.‘David S. Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Libs., Philadelphia