Swish: My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever

Astonishing. ( )

Swish by Joel Derfner is a memoir of growing up, being gay and trying to figure out what all that means at a deeply personal level.

Although the subtitle, My Quest to Become the Gayest Person Ever, implies fluff — it's not. Sure, there are moments of humor and Derfner's voice comes through as genuine throughout, but it's certainly not fluff. In terms of tone, it reminds me most of Drew Carey's memoir, Dirty Jokes and Beer.

The second chapter, On Casual Sex, isn't for the Puritan minded reader. It's frank description of numerous sexual encounters. It's a fascinating, depressing, and sometimes mind-boggling chapter. All the chapters take their stated subject with a similar, in depth, obsessed focus.

Mostly though, Swish, asks the reader to reconsider every last gender and sexual orientation stereotype. Reading through the different chapters is like watching Derfner trying each stereotypically gay thing and seeing if it will make him happy.

So did Derfner convince me that he's the gayest person ever? No. Did I enjoy reading the book? Mostly. Will I remember the book? Yes. Do I recommend the book? Yes. ( )

Contrary to what the jacket copy promises, this is not one long hilarious romp. It does have moments wherein I dissolved in helpless, snorting laughter though. It's much more memoir than humor, and memoir with insight and angst. I enjoyed it a lot, but found Derfner's repetitive inner self-hating monologue tedious at best.

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This odd collection that seems cobbled together by blog posts in the beginning. The first half of the book is amusing, but not captivating. The tone changes abruptly in the last section, becoming far more thoughtful and interseting. ( )

This author is exceptionally funny and bright. This is the third memoirs I've read recently by Southern gay boys (Mississippi Sissy and The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy). All three equally as compelling, equally as astonishing, and equally as different from the other. Bravo Joel Derfner! ( )