Army of Lovers

Army of Lovers: A Community History of Will Munro

I know that it seems like I thoroughly enjoy everything I read and watch, but that's not true. The main reason is that I watch and read things I know or think that I will be interested in. This, however, was another of the books I was assigned in my non-fiction course.

I am uncertain how I feel about this book, less because of the style and more because of the story being told.

This books is the story of Will Munro being told through excerpts from interviews with friends, family, and aquaintances of the youn man who became a figurehead and celebrity in his little (but growing) community. He was an artist, a gay rights activist, a volunteer youth helpline worker, etc. He was the figurehead for a small, previously unrepresented community.  From the stories, he seemed to be the strangest party animal, a really unique artist type, but also a completely self-sacrificial giver. He brought people together.

The part of the book that got to me the most was that this young man grew up and did all of these things in cities where I grew up and went to school, just decades before me. And yet I never once heard about him.

This is a biography, so there is nothing to "spoil", but the life of this unique artist and community figure was cut tragically short, thus inspiring the book chronicling his life and his work.

If you are into the gay punk rock scene, you may really enjoy this book. I found it a little hard to read about some of it because I found it to be a little too disturbing or odd at times.

The purpose, however is o preserve Will's life as a person and not just a community icon. It also preserves the community which he strove to create. It does this through the stories of what he did for the creation of this community, but it also uses the many voices of the community to tell the story.

As a twist in the classic biography, it is pretty neat.