American Voyeur: Dispatches From the Far Reaches of Modern Life

by Benoit Denizet-Lewis

BENOIT DENIZET-LEWIS, one of the most perceptive and interesting journalists writing today, takes us into some unusual precincts of American society in American Voyeur .

Denizet-Lewis made news with his New York Times Magazine cover story "Double Lives on the Down Low," included here, which ignited a firestorm by revealing a subculture of African-American men who have sex with other men but who don’t consider themselves gay. In American Voyeur, he also takes us inside a summer camp for pro-life teenagers, a New Hampshire town where two young brothers committed suicide, a social group for lipstick lesbians, a middle school where a girl secretly lives as a boy, a college where fraternity boys face the daunting prospect of sobriety, a state where legally married young gay men are turning out to be more like their parents than anyone might have suspected, a high school where dating has been replaced by "hooking up," and other intersections of youth culture and sexuality. Peer behind the curtain of modern American life with this remarkable collection.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Sociology, Journalism, LGBT

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2009

About the author

Benoit Denizet-Lewis is an associate professor at Emerson College and a longtime contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine. He has written three previous books, including America Anonymous and the New York Times bestseller Travels With Casey. His new book, You've Changed: The Promise and Price of Self-Transformation, comes out in April 2026. A New America Fellow and NEH Public Scholar, he divides his time between Boston and Prague.

Reviews

[Kathrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes a bit sophomoric, Denizet-Lewis is at his best when he writes what he's passionate about -- and that would be gay people. He presents a perspective on all kinds of 'em, (almost all of them the male varieties), and the most interesting essays are the ones that Denizet-Lewis doesn't feel all that comfortable about, such as the Down Low, African-American men who engage in gay sex, but refuse the identity of homosexuality. The terror of the culture is its denial of safe sex practices, and the huge of amount of AIDS transmission to partners, both male and female, all in the name of thug sexy, doing it "raw".
Despite its frank discussions of sex, this is a good book for high school non-fiction reading, especially, perhaps for GLBTQ reluctant readers, as the topics are certainly interesting, relevant to youth and young adults, and accessible. A good introduction to concepts of ethnography, journalism, social justice, and cultural studies.

[Mark Mikula · Rating 4 out of 5]

So ... I'll be on a contemporary essay/magazine article kick for the next little while. This is the first of the collections that I've read.

The book is divided between essays on youth and essays on sex, and there is overlap between stories from both sides of the section break. The articles originally appeared in a handful of publications, most notably the New York Times Magazine and then a handful of both general and LGBTQ periodicals.

I found the essays to be nearly universally compelling and eye-opening. It is remarkable to see that even in the short time since these have been published just how much things continue to change along the boundaries of the territory that Denizet-Lewis covers. As a gay man himself who was often assumed to be straight by the people he encounters, the journalist has a very unique point of view as he wends his way through his stories.

He covers neighbors' reactions to the renaming of Gay Street in a city in Ohio, the relatively recent banning of alcohol in fraternity systems across the country, lipstick lesbians, the down-low culture, the vibe of the corporate offices of Abercrombie & Fitch, and the evolution of adolescent relationships over the last century, among other topics.

The coverage typically stayed away from being sensationalistic or prurient. Denizet-Lewis especially exhibited a knack for exposing the complications and challenges of subgroups within the culture struggling to define themselves.

I came away from the collection with a better understanding of the inherent complications between the need to belong and the need to embrace your individuality. I also appreciated the range of points of view that the people in the book provided to Denizet-Lewis. Admirably crafted, insightful exposure to a wide range of points of view along the intersections of gender, race, orientation, class, and age.

[Teddy Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read and some decent stories in there. Many were very surface-level though. Wasn’t the most in-depth journalism.

[Trux · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a general audience this book deserves four stars, it just wasn't as meaty or provocative or fresh as I'd hoped for (grabbed it off the library's most-recommended shelves without knowing anything about it except what's on the back; it's a collection of already-published work so even though the book just came out, the pieces are older and more familiar at this point than something "NEW in 2010"). A quick, accessible read, though. The NAMBLA chapter was great and fair, though most successful for his selection of perfect quotes from other writers. Some of the pieces in the first half of the book were less-than-special reading, particularly the one that was supposed to be really moving, I guess, about the brothers who killed themselves. It was hard not to laugh at some of it (like the glow sticks on the headstones) and not just because of the facts, but the way it was written. Like, so mainstream-y I can't tell if the author is laughing at the mainstream's lack of sophistication/inability to recognize that lauding one brother's amazing impression of Austin Powers sounds like mockery or if those suburban details are an honestly sensitive way of painting a picture of a tragedy. It just didn't work for me, though I appreciated a lot of the information and types of subject matter in the book overall. My favorite piece might have been "Abercrombie Nation", but again, I think there's a lot more provocative, deeper coverage of these subjects to be found. Kind of a nice superficial primer for people who are outsiders to being . . . outsiders?

[Cara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of the essays in this book were pretty interesting, but after awhile they started all running together. "Here are some people, look what they do!" "Here are some more people, look what they do!" Blah. Each one went on for about 20 pages after I quit being interested, but I kept hoping they'd get interesting again, so I kept reading anyway. Also, the title makes it sound like a sexy book, but despite a lot of articles about people who have unusual sex lives, it really wasn't like that. It was more like "hey, these people do this and those people do that, but we're all just people really--can't we all just get along?" Certainly a worthy message, but not one I found particularly compelling or original. I enjoyed the last few essays about gay men getting married and the different gradations of masculinity within gay society--those were new information for me but easy to relate to. They ended the book on a high note.

[Jays · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of previously written articles, more or less grouped by subject matter, the book dipped its toes into some really interested subcultures but I never felt like they did any of them justice. I would have liked to have seen much more in-depth about many of these situations, although I understand that since they're just reprints of pieces done mostly for magazines, the original writing probably didn't allow for the kind of depth that a book can devote. Still, it would have been interesting for the author to have expanded on these topics here.

Ultimately, I give the author a lot of credit for writing so clearly about a variety of different groups of people, many of whom I would personally have a hard time writing about with such an even-keeled voice. Any of the author's own opinions about the subcultures he examines are largely kept out of his writing, letting each group's weaknesses and strengths (or beliefs and delusions, depending on your perspective) shine through.

[Stephen Dorneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In these essays Denizet-Lewis ventures into subcultures as diverse as African-American men on the Down Low, Teen Mania Christian youth, pro-life activists at summer camp, young married gays, straight teen hook-up cliques, and more, and he tells you, well, what those people are thinking and saying and what brought them to this place. He typically lets his subjects speak for themselves, without adding much, if any, in the way of additional commentary (which is sometimes a lost opportunity, I feel), but his uncanny ability to get people to open up serves him well. Some of the material is dated but still overall - Recommended.

[shana · Rating 4 out of 5]

excellent experiential, immersive journalism. (i know benoit, and am thanked here, so obviously i have a bias.)

i read most but not all of these pieces as they were published over the last decade (NYT mag, salon, out, jane) but going back through them was inspiring as a journalist and just plain entertaining as a reader. benoit's observations are funny and poignant, and he has a keen eye for people's contradictions and complex lives.

great for anyone who enjoys magazine-style feature stories and profiles, especially stories about youth, politics, sexuality and gender.

[Peter Morrs · Rating 2 out of 5]

The manager at the book store I frequent reccomended this to me. He said it was profound. I'm a social worker in San Francisco so I found the stories of the people in the book more normal, albeit sad at times, rather than profound. Great read for someone looking to expose themselves to fringe demographics.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Divided into two sections, "Sex" (mostly gay men) and "Everything Else" (mostly anti-abortion activists, evangelical Christians, and other groups whom Denizet-Lewis chose because they are his antithesis, I suppose). None of the essays was long enough that I felt like I got a good sense of the subjects, and I didn't like that, as I was generally interested in the groups on which he focused.

[Alli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't realize that this book would focus so much on the experience of the homosexual man in early 2000's America. Not that I don't find this POV interesting, but a significant chunk of the book focused on this particular experience.

The book is a bit dated, but still provided some interesting stores about alternative lifestyles.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting survey of topics pertaining to youth and sex in America. The author says he embeds himself in the groups, but at times it seemed unlikely that he had really been able to get the full experience.

[Peter Knox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked it a lot. A bunch of portals into people's lives, well written.

[Jamie Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benoit Denizet-Lewis has become one of my favorite writers. He tackles subjects not usually sought after or wrote about. And he does so in great taste. I love his books.

[Kristan · Rating 4 out of 5]

All of the stories in this book are really interesting. As a journalism student, I ate it up.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were more interesting than others. Transgendered teens? Interesting. Dry frats? I couldn't care less.

[Vivencio · Rating 3 out of 5]

articles previously published in the nyt mag, harper's and out. an engaging, if light, read.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the most part, this was a very interesting book. It certainly opens your eyes to some of the unseen cultures existing in this country. Parts tho' were choppy and did not hold my attention.

[Rebecca May · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little repetitive. Perhaps more enlightening for someone a bit more sheltered. A few very interesting and informative chapters.

[Erika Nerdypants · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting collection of essays on various subcultures.

[Nyskier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting series of essays on everything from Christian teen camps to Lipstick Lesbians. Fascinating!

[Keegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

very interesting!