Rating: 
Summary: The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things...
Review: When I read 'Sarah' last autumn, I was quite taken by the simplicity with which it was told. It's straightforward story, J.T.'s reality retold in simple prose, it's grittiness was mainly sad, but over all, when I finished reading, I thought, "Ah, and he became a writer. Excellent." Not much else I'm afraid, whilst I enjoyed the style, and the pace, the story was well told, but left little to think about. Sad life, yes. Book of consecuence, barely. However, I've just finished J.T.'s new book "The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things", and can only say one thing. Breathtaking. Again, J.T. sticks with his simple prose, but this time explores other aspects of his persona, things that, I daresay affect him still as a result of his past. Whilst 'Sarah' made me think, 'The Heart...' made me gasp at times, it's content is sometimes shocking, definitely disturbing, but extremely witty and honest. The reviews here have been mixed, I'd reccommend you read 'Sarah', but start with 'The Heart...' and perhaps it will all make better sense. 'Sarah' gets four from me, because whilst it's a good book, the grittiness tends to inspire pity rather than shock. A sensitive debut from a young man surely destined to mature into a wonderful writer.
Rating: 
Summary: So different it makes you weep
Review: With contemporary fiction and bestseller lists chock-o-ful of "My poor childhood" books:¡§Angela Ash's," "The Child Called It." et all ad infinium. J. T Leroy is a breath of fresh air. Thank god. Our hero/heroine in this book tops the "painful, horrible, abused" childhood category by not only having a mother who is a prostitute but follows her footsteps into the land of "lot lizards" at the mere age of 13. He then runs away from the cloistered protection of his caring pimp and finds himself caught up in a far more sinister ring in an even more horrific town. Fueled by secrets of his identity over his confusion of how the body works, ¡§Sarah¡¨ life just goes downhill from there. So what is the big deal about this book? Yes, the language is beautiful, the landscape foreign and the characters unforgettable due to their inherent strangeness and oblique lifestyles such as the Geisha like, Cheerleader like boys who are his teacher and savior. But the reason this book comes out of the smothering ashes of another tragic mother, is the fact it is written with HOPE. The story is slathered with deep southern magic of saints and artifacts, mixed in with Native American powers of redemption and curses. These people, and the hero/heroine herself are proud of their place in the wide chain. Sarah along with the others wants to be a lot lizard, and what we perceive as horrors is magical to him. Not for a moment does Sarah compare himself/herself to those of his/her suburban peers and mire in his fate because in this world they merely do not exist. We read this book on its own terms and our heroine/hero does as good as he can and we root for him at every turn.
Rating: 
Summary: a disappointment with potential
Review: the amount of hype this book received is perplexing. he is young, yes; the story itself (stripped of leroy's difficulties with its execution)is unique and entertaining, yes; but the writing is amateurish, sluggish, and lacking the qualities i expected in a novel that had garnered so much praise. ....this book is all story and no craft, like a tv movie. that said, the story is very sweet and the characters are interesting. they're one-dimensional, but the one dimension each is allotted contains funny bits and good dialogue. .... it's different because of its location and its subject matter....
Rating:
Summary: Not enough Stars in the Sky!
Review: This book deserves 1500 plus stars. I read Sarah and was in awe of it all - the words, the story, the characters and their development, the use of language - everything that makes a story brilliant....and this book is. I could not put it down. It touches you in a way that is hard to explain. LeRoy has a way of using language so beautifully it wraps itself around your heart and mind and won't let you go. Even when i HAD to put the book down to deal with the mundane in life, I kept thinking about it and when i could get back to it. It's an incredible, wondrous truckstop fairytale - think Lewis Carroll on a fabulous acid trip in the wilds of west virginia - i've never read anything like it. This book is a big blooming rose in a field of stinkweed - DON'T pass it by - pluck this literary flower, breathe it in and be mesmerized. You will not be disappointed!!
Rating:
Summary: sorry, this book was a disappointment
Review: I read the blurb on JT Leroy in Vanity Fair and was very interested in reading his book. Sorry to say, the reality does not live up to the expectation. The book lacks engaging characters, a discernible plot, and any semblance of readability. I made it halfway through and that was an effort. However, the book made a strong enough impression on me to write a negative review, so perhaps that is a point in its favor.If you want "hallucinatory" fiction, read Burroughs (Bill). If you want inspired fantasy, read Burroughs (Edgar Rice). If you want gritty realism, read James Ellroy. Save yourself the trouble and pass this stinker by.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant!!
Review: J.T. Leroy's use of language is music. Some lines I read and reread for the sheer joy of seeing and hearing the words. A talent to be treasured. I am so thrilled I discovered J.T. Leroy at the beginning of his career. I'm in awe.
Rating:
Summary: Hail all ye saints and sinners!
Review: SARAH by JT Leroy is one of the most original and funny stories I've read in a long time. If you've read any of the promotional blurbs, I took special notice of one that refers to SARAH as a cross between Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and William Burrough's Naked Lunch. I'll take that tangent a step further and say I saw elements of Hansel and Gretel, the 3 Little Pigs, Humpty Dumpty, Rapunzel and Rumpelstilskin, to name a few childhood fairy tales. This story of a "lot lizard" who takes his mother's name on a moment's notice, and joins the world of truck-stop whores, hustlers and even a 5-star chef in a diner named the Three Doves, had me laughing out loud, sighing and absolutely drawn into the "religious" symbolism that jumps off some many pages. Not only do these women and "women" service their truckers rain, snow or shine, they also can raise the roof with a medley of old Gospel songs that'll bring tears and laughter at the same time. I CANNOT wait to see that scene brought to life in movie form by Gus van Sant, who evidently is working on the film right now. My first thought was John Waters to direct, but Gus van Sant has the modern homosexual/hustler/alt culture down to a T. If you've seen My Private Idaho, you know to what I'm referring. This "novel" is a mix of drama/comedy, sin/redemption, joy/heartbreak, etc. etc. I cannot recommend this highly enough as a truly original voice in modern literature. I have to go now and read THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, Leroy's collection of short stories just published recently. Have a gay ol' time enjoying "Saint" Sarah's life story with her friends Pooh, Stella and the gang....
Rating:
Summary: Strange and wonderful and new
Review: JT LeRoy reminds me of an unsung writer I admire named James Purdy. His books are full of what most discerning individuals would label diseased or degenerate charcters behaving in a manner befitting their nature. Strange, yet often wonderful writing which deserves to be celebrated for daring to present a unique vision of our world. JT LeRoy writes the same way. It's almost as if they were related in some way. I've read critic's who compare him to Carson McCullers - but they are simply all wet. Carson never wrote characters or situations at this level of absurdity. There is a constant sense of unreality in this work, which absolutely separates it from any tangible comparison to the work of Ms. McCullers. They must not have made the Purdy discovery themselves or they would surely credit him as an influence. Regardless of who may or not have influenced LeRoy, his is an original voice. "Sarah" is a wonderful, wild, repellent, roller coaster of a novel.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: In the world of 'lot lizards' the girl with the biggest coon bone is queen... or at least the best paid. JT Leroy has created a masterpiece debut with Sarah (now in paperback). Though the subject matter may initially seem a bit much, the charm of his writing style, creativity, and truck stop similes cause the reader to take Sarah seriously. The protagonist - young and innocent in all of his androdgenous adventures - is not only a seducer, but an adventurer and sadly, a victim of a world that he may be all to ready for. Controversial and bitingly funny, Sarah is a story that needs to be told, and one that the world outside of West Virginia needs to read.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing New Voice in Literature!
Review: For those who have yet to hear of JT Leroy or his book, SARAH, you are missing out on one of the most amazing new voices in literature. With as haunting of a voice as Carson McCullers and with an edge to rival Harry Crews, JT Leroy writes with an intensity that will make you want to savor the small book over days rather than devour it in one sitting. And, with the depth of the characters and theme, you might find it impossible to make it a quick read, instead finding it best to consider, review and read slowly. Drawing from the experiences of his 20 years, Leroy is able to put together a story so surreal that you know it is awash in truth, yet also know that it is a world unique and foreign to most readers. Or is it? As JT Leroy tackles some of his own demons he quietly challeges the reader to do the same. The one thing to know going in is -- you will find yourself craving something else from this deep, beautiful, and wounded heart. I was at once reminded of John Kennedy Toole's NEON BIBLE. Both of these books left me craving more. With Leroy, at least we are likely to get our wish!
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