Shop at Home, JD Williams Online Store, Argoss Chapters, Canada . Buy Now Pay Later With Interest Free Credit | Nationwide - Car Insurance Any Way the Wind Blows: A Novel Author: E. Lynn Harris Trade Paperback Usually ships in 24 hours Delivery is subject to warehouse availability. Shipping delays may occur if we receive more orders than stock. Our Price: $18.00 You could save $1.80 (10%) with our iREWARDS Program Ordering is 100% secure . Spend $39 or more at chapters.indigo.ca and your order ships free!. ( Details ) Dimensions: 368 Pages | ISBN: 0385721188 Published: July 2002 | Published by Anchor Books From the Publisher When her wedding to John “Basil” Henderson didn’t come off as planned, Yancey Harrington Braxton flew off to L.A. and remade herself as mega-diva Yancey B. And Basil started concentrating on his career as a high-powered sports agent. But then Yancey’s first single, “Any Way the Wind Blows,” hit the charts, and now it threatens to blow Basil’s cover--if anyone learns who it’s really about. And it looks like the gorgeous (and ambitious) hunk Bart Dunbar might just have it all figured out. About the Author E. Lynn Harris is a former IBM computer sales executive and a graduate of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. He is the author of six previous novels: Not a Day Goes By , Abide with Me, Invisible Life, Just as I Am, And This Too Shall Pass, and If This World Were Mine . In 1996, Just as I Am was named Novel of the Year by the Blackboard African American Bestsellers, Inc. Abide with Me and If This World Were Mine won the James Baldwin Award for Literary Excellence. In 2000, E. Lynn Harris was named one of the fifty-five Most Intriguing African Americans by Ebony and inducted into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame. Harris divides his time between New York City and Chicago. From the Trade Paperback edition. Tips for your Reading Group 1. The novel opens with each of the three main characters giving a quick sketch of themselves. Is there a particular sentence or section in each description that conveys the essence of each person’s character? 2. Bart says, “At twenty-one, I believed in love lasting forever. At twenty-eight, I know nothing lasts forever . . . except maybe revenge” [p. 11]. Is this a common point of view? What examples can you give from your own experiences, your observations of the world, or literature that support it? Do you think Yancey’s reasons for wanting revenge [p. 73] are more understandable and more justifiable than Bart’s? 3. Basil and Rosa talk about having a child together, even though neither of them wants to get married [p. 14]. In your opinion, is either of them ready to take on the responsibilities of parenthood, given the nature of their relationship and the way they handle the revelation of Rosa’s pregnancy? 4. In talking about his friend Wylie, Bart says, “I remember a time when intelligence was considered hot in a man. . . . Today it’s beauty, sex . . . or wealth” [p. 35]. Is this “dumbing down” unique to the gay black community or is it prevalent in American society in general? Do you agree with Bart that heterosexuals have more opportunities for real love than gay men do [p. 37]? 5. Windsor plans to keep her baby whether Wardell decides to marry her or not [p. 71]. Do you think this is the right decision? Is it better, as she says, “to be a product of a broken home than to live in one” [p. 71]? If you have read about the recent, controversial studies of children of divorce and other kids raised in single parent homes, discuss how you feel about the findings and how they relate to Windsor’s decision. 6. Do you think Basil represents the majority of bisexual men? To what extent do the unspoken rules of society contribute to his insistence on hiding his sexual orientation? Do you think that he is serious about his quest to find a mother for his children, or is this simply part of his cover-up? How does the way he talks about women support your viewpoint? 7. Basil cockily declares, “With all the talk of brothers who swung both ways, women still hadn’t learned all the games” [p. 136] and “Men, even gay men, knew how to separate love and sex, even if women couldn’t” [p. 156]. Are women as naive as Basil believes? Is there a difference between men who date more than one woman and men who “swing both ways”? 8. What is your reaction to Yancey and Basil’s reunion [pp. 171–175]? Does it fit your expectations or were you surprised by either Basil’s or Yancey’s behavior? Which character appears in a more sympathetic light? Why do you think Harris chooses Yancey to describe the meeting? 9. Two secrets—Basil’s sexuality and the existence of Yancey’s child—and the threat that they will be revealed lie at the heart of the novel. Which do you think is the more damaging secret? Is the media (embodied in the character of the gossip columnist LaVonya) overeager to feed the public’s fascination with scandal without considering its effect on the individuals concerned? 10. What incidents or relationships show that both Basil and Yancey have a softer, more human side behind their tough exteriors? Do you think that Yancey’s new romance and the birth of Basil’s child will bring about permanent changes in their personalities? 11. What roles do Wylie, Windsor, and Raymond play in the novel? To what extent do they act as moral consciences for the main characters? Are they realistically portrayed, or are they a bit too perfect? How does Harris’s depiction of them compare to his depiction of Bart and Ava, the villains in the novel? 12. If you are familiar with current television programs that feature gay men [p. 37], discuss how well they depict the reality of gay life in America. Do the creators of shows such as Queer As Folk and Will & Grace and other forms of popular culture have a responsibility to instruct as well as entertain? How do you think E. Lynn Harris would answer the question? 13. How do Harris’s other books compare to Any Way the Wind Blows ? Does this novel represent a change in Harris’s style or in the nature of the themes he explores? What do you think the basic message of the book is? 14. The same characters appear in many of Harris’s novels, sometimes in leading roles, sometimes in cameos. Which of the characters in Any Way the Wind Blows would you like see in his next novel and why? Review Quotes “Packed with more drama than a hurricane at a Fourth of July picnic.” -- USA Today "A witty glimpse into the world of pop divas and sports stars....Light, funny and fast-paced." -- The Houston Chronicle “Drop-dead gorgeous characters caught in a web of deception and sexual intrigue. . . . Quite tasty.” — The Washington Post “More lying, cheating, bed-hopping and name-calling than a year’s worth of Ricki Lake .” -- People Info Desk iREWARDS Program About Our Company Affiliate Opportunities Careers Contact Us Corporate Sales Gift Certificates Privacy Policy Shipping Rates Store Locations Wish List chapters.indigo.ca: books Shopping Bag | Account Centre | Wish List | Help iREWARDS Program | Corporate Sales | Store Locations All Products Books DVD Video Gifts Books Advanced Search Search Tips About this Book From the Publisher About the Author Read from the Book Tips for your Reading Group Review Quotes Browse Books Art and Architecture Audiobooks Biography & Memoir Business and Finance Children's Books Computers Entertainment Family and Relationships Fiction and Literature Food and Drink Health and Well Being History Home and Garden Mystery and Suspense Reference and Language Religion and Spirituality Romance Science and Nature Science Fiction and Fantasy Social and Cultural Studies Sports Travel Coles Notes . 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