This Forbidden Fruit by David Ledain — Book Review
This book reflects the subconscious urge for individuals to belong to a community and be accepted by members of a group or society; specifically, the author’s emotional need to affiliate with the homosexual male community by learning about its history, but also its culture in literature and arts of the past and present. This need for gay heritage has demanded a new introductory account for individuals from all walks of life, not only for students of queer theory. Indeed, Ledain’s work is a significant contribution to the still-evolving field of queer theory, particularly male homosexuality in the UK. He offers an easy-to-read guide to the ‘rich and diverse culture which every gay man should have at his fingertips and look at with pride’ (p. 8). His enlightening study addresses many questions that the everyday reader may have, and probably even more that they did not realise they had.
The book is organised into two parts and begins with a brief introduction in which Ledain describes the research he undertook for his first book, Gay Dad: Ten True Stories of Divorced Gay Men with Kids, Living in the UK Today, which then inspired him to write the current volume. In Part One: Culture & History, Ledain emphasises the role of literature recording and promoting sexual identity by providing a short chronological overview of literary works from the ancient and classical Greek and Roman traditions through to the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, the Victorian era, and on to the twentieth century. In addition, he covers topics such as genetics and HIV/AIDS. The reader will undoubtedly appreciate the chapter on homophobia and its religious roots. In Part Two: Significant Events, Ledain concentrates on cultural events and reforms mainly in the UK, as well as in Nazi Germany during WWII, that, according to him, have had the most significant influence (p. 9). Based on archive data, Ledain describes the progression of gay-influencing events over 500 years and explains the emergence of homosexual rights. In the course of providing his overview, Ledain recounts the lives of men such as Oscar Wilde, John Smith and James Pratt, and the concentration camp prisoners with the pink triangles, among others, whose stories cannot help but strike a chord with the readers and leave them sympathetic.
In short, this is an excellent book, and I can only think of a few improvements. For instance, in the case of the review of gay literature in the twentieth century, it would have been good to provide more than three novelist’s works as examples. Another improvement would have been the addition of a chapter on press and film portrayal, apart from pornography; another on Pride festivals; and perhaps another on gay cruising culture. Finally, I would suggest that he adopt a better reference system and include a section devoted to further readings. Despite these minor issues, this is an engaging guide. David Ledain succeeds in opening the reader’s eyes to the fact that gay culture and literature had existed long before the Stonewall riots of the previous century.
David Ledain, This Forbidden Fruit: Male Homosexuality: A Culture & History Guide (Great Britain: Published by D. Ledain, 2019). 270 pp. £11.99 ppb. £4.65 ebook. ISBN 9781791700959.
