cover image That's Why They're in Cages, People!

That's Why They're in Cages, People!

Joel Perry. Alyson Books, $14.95 (296pp) ISBN 978-1-55583-742-6

From the strobe-lit mind of writer and producer Perry, author of Funny That Way and Going Down: The Instinct Guide to Oral Sex, comes this sparkling collection of self-deprecating, irreverently witty personal essays. Whether he's translating the canon of relationship lies--""Lie: You're not my type. Translation: I'm so shallow I can't be bothered with being open to new things or growth""--or arguing for the return of the Debbie Allen Dance Number to the Academy Awards show, Perry's writing continually orbits around the themes of isolation and longing, which, blended with his blunt, ornery humor, makes his essays satisfying in that bittersweet, David Sedaris kind of way. Some of the collection's most notable essays focus on various aspects of gay culture, including the grand topic of""gay pride.""""Pride is not something you buy or attend,"" Perry explains.""No, not even the festival itself is pride. It's a party. You carry the pride....always remember it's B.Y.O. Pride. Cherish it. Honor it. Then decorate it with leather, spandex, feathers or just some SPF 15 and bring it on down to the party and work it!"" Gay pride is a living example for others, Perry adds in the book's final pages, because it serves as a reminder for all that""liberation is available for the claiming.""""We're here. We're queer. Start taking notes.""