If Only for One Nite

B-Boy Blues #3

by James Earl Hardy

An Excerpt Have you ever had a crush on a teacher? I'm sure we all have. From the first day, the first moment you meet them, you're· Captivated. Captured. Committed. Convicted. My very first crush was on an English teacher named Mr. Weatherspoon in the second grade. He was fresh out of college and looked so fresh (uh, young) that, after meeting him on parent-teacher conference night, my mother just knew she was on Candid She thought he was a student masquerading as a teacher. He just took her observation as a compliment and flashed that smile. Lord, that smile. He had what you would call a baby-grand grin. Whenever he flashed it, I would hear them ivories and ebonies being tickled (notice how most forget to mention those black keys). And I don't know what tune was being played, but whatever it was, it was hypnotic - just like him. He always came to class dressed down in a shirt, jacket, slacks, and tie, and his scent was an aftershave lotion called Blue Musk (yes, I had the gall to ask; there was a reporter in me at that age). I looked forward to when he would hunch over my desk, give me one of those smiles, reach out with that big, brown hand, and crown me the winner of our weekly spelling bee by brushing my head and saying, "Outstanding, Mitchell. Just outstanding." And I earned that reward every I studied an extra hour each Thursday afternoon to ensure that I held on to my title. When he smiled at me, when he touched me·I don't know, that button was pressed. Yeah, it was an innocent gesture and in no way sexual, but it had the opposite Those homohormones really kicked into gear. I didn't know at that age what it was I was feeling or why I was feeling the way I was, but I knew that I loved the feeling. But I was fully aware of what I was feeling and why I was feeling it this time. And I was truly enjoying what those homohormones were doing to me. I was in a daze, a haze over Mr. I just stared into space in all my classes, daydreaming about him. And at night? My wet dreams were so wild that I found my pillow and sheet on the floor in the morning and my underwear soaked. In a sense I had my art teacher, Ms. Yearwood, to thank for that. I dreamed of Mr. Reid

Genres: LGBT, Romance, Fiction, Gay Fiction, Gay

200 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1998

About the author

James Earl Hardy is the author B-Boy Blues, which has been praised as the first gay hip hop love story. The novel was a 1995 Lambda Literary Award (Lammy) finalist for Best LGBT/Small Press Title and was prominently featured in Spike Lee's Get on the Bus. The book is required reading in contemporary African American fiction courses and gay & lesbian studies programs at colleges and universities across the globe.

Hardy has also written a stage adaptation of B-Boy Blues, which sold out when it debuted Off-Broadway, as well as a one-man show Confessions of a Homo Thug Porn Star (which is based on the life of adult film actor Tiger Tyson).

An honors graduate of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, Mr. Hardy is also an entertainment feature writer and cultural critic whose byline has been appeared in many national magazines and newspapers. His work has earned him numerous grants and awards.

Reviews

[Kenneth Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third installment of the B-Boy Blues series takes place mostly in flashback as Mitchell remembers his relationship with a high school gymnastics coach. We then return to the present for a high school reunion and Mitchell’s reckoning with that coach.

This book was so short and quick to read. I enjoyed the story a lot, especially the way that it showed the relationship from Mitchell’s past and present perspectives. It presented the heady intoxication of falling for an older man, while also showing the unhealthy and dangerous imbalance of power.

This book does not follow the present-day relationship between Mitchell and Raheim as much as the first two books of the series, but readers can rest assured that they are still very much in love. I can’t wait to check out the fourth book and see where this beautiful story leads next.

4 out of 5

[Shira Glassman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found If Only For One Nite by James Earl Hardy by accident while wandering the shelves at my local library, and since I’m interested in reading 1. LGBT lit and 2. romance that isn’t about well-to-do white Protestants, I eagerly grabbed it and checked it out.

I was instantly hooked on the gossipy, blunt voice of the narrator, spilling the beans about all his former classmates and how they’ve changed in the ten years between graduation and the present setting, his high school reunion. I also loved his gleeful hyperbole when talking about anything sexual or romantic, the words practically coming off the page and dancing around the room waving ribbons at me. Hardy, by the way, is not the least bit interested in appeasing the white gaze, and there’s a great line where his narrator tells a white former classmate who used to be racist and is now married to a Black woman and thinks he’s God’s Greatest White Ally: “Just because you’re sleeping with one of us doesn’t mean you’re sleeping with all of us.”

While I was reading the book, I kept tweeting about it as if it was a “romance”, especially moved by writing like:

He washed me — not whiter than snow (I have always refused to sing that hymn in church for reasons I’m sure I don’t have to explain) but with a melanin sun.

However, at final consideration, it isn’t “a romance” in the traditional sense, but a journey. Mitchell starts and ends the story — spoilers — in a stable, loving relationship with another man, so if you’re like me and prefer your queer narratives to be hopeful, you’re safe here. But the bulk of the story is the complex, thorough, and incredibly familiar story of how he was seduced in high school by his coach. The seduction is both physical and emotional, both affectionate and lusty–a complete head trip.

It’s hard to know what to say about this other than that it’s very good, but I do want to make the point that alongside the men who will see themselves in this book, I think many women will find it validating as well. Mitchell says all the right things at the end, during the inevitable confrontation, and the final pages of the book pack a punch that had me wide-eyed and impressed.

I’m definitely going to read more by Hardy because I really like his style.

[Bruh · Rating 4 out of 5]

BBB series, this one focuses more on
Mitchell.

[Kali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wooooow

Many years ago, I was given B-Boy Blues and until now I hadn’t realized that the story of Lil Bit and Pooqie was almost 7 books in. I decided to dive back and see if the story was still as deep, as the first book was in terms of the treatment of a black male coming to grips with his sexuality and being opened to love.

[Jemone Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, very well written

[Lupin V · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am just stunned. not sure what to say but short and good read.

[Jon O · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the flow of stories (eventually). Yes, eventually. The first 30 pages were difficult to follow, as well as the pages linked to the song 'Gone Too Soon', as James randomly talked about more than 10 characters that were not even related to the storyline directly. However, once I got by the 30 pages, and into Chapter 2, I was hooked. I was interested to know Mitchell's younger years, even though I have not read the first two books in the series.

The story was easy to follow. The sex scenes were described better than some other books I had read before. Somehow, the plots were interesting enough that I was willing to skip other things to do, just to finish up reading this book.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars, but an old favorite.

[Ray Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

another great prequel by hardy