Official Review: Big Bunches At The Jam Factory

Harty · Post by **Harty** » 16 May 2020, 08:42

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Big Bunches At The Jam Factory" by Keith.paulusse.]

3 out of 4 stars

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The tale that’s featured in this book begun over 50 years ago when Paulusse’s family immigrated to Australia. The story stirs the reader’s emotions because it’s built on a struggle Paulusse, and the people he writes about, underwent. The tale is complex, at the same time, because its central theme is an open-ended examination of a fundamental aspect of humanity. Through it all, the reader will discover the extent to which the human spirit will endure in the face of adversity.

As the narrative opens, we find Paulusse working with the Australian Post. Part of his job description is to help come up with equal opportunity policies in his workplace. Before long, however, Paulusse becomes the proud owner of a flower shop, Big Bunches, which becomes synonymous with his human rights crusade. Moreover, the exotic and floral diversity of Big Bunches is likened to human diversity, and more specifically, the heterogeneity inherent in sexual orientation.

In some quarters, the foregoing has been translated to mean freedom in having a multiplicity of sexual (gay) partners. Indeed, Paulusse talks of students from conservative Asian countries coming to Australia to study only to be overwhelmed by the freedom they find. Elsewhere, Paulusse quotes a certain writer who lauded a named character for her “tolerance, wisdom, and capacity in nurturing naïve people into the cultured character of freedom-loving San Franciscans.”

I found Paulusse’s reference to his visit to the city of San Francisco (“the gay mecca”) significant because it marked the beginning of a new chapter in his life. In his words, the visit culminated in him discovering his full human nature. In my opinion, this makes homosexuality a subset of learned behavior rather than something occurring naturally in the genes as stated elsewhere in his book (a citation he attributes to a Harvard professor). Of equal significance, as well, it was in this city that the earliest ravages of the HIV-AIDS disease were witnessed, beginning in the early ’80s.

Briefly, in his memoir Big Bunches at the Jam Factory, Keith Paulusse writes about his many “friends, lovers, partners” who died of HIV-AIDS complications. They also had to fight for their place in society as gay people as the law discriminated against them. As a result, some of the themes featured in his book include homosexuality, HIV-AIDS, depression, suicide, and non-discrimination laws.

Given what I mentioned earlier about homosexuality being a learned trait, I’d have preferred Paulusse to use a conciliatory tone (as opposed to the current aggrieved tone) while advocating for the rights of gay people. Humans can accept and celebrate their differences without, for example, one party deriding the other’s religion. Unfortunately, considering the author’s liberal Dutch upbringing, some portions of his book are critical of Christianity and seem to suggest Christians are the cause of gay people’s problems.

Lastly, this 284-page book is poorly edited. Some of the more common errors I identified included words in the wrong tense and typos. As a result, I mark it down by a star to rate it at 3 out of 4 stars.

That aside, among people of good will, this is an excellent book for promoting tolerance and bridging differences across cultural/religious lines. I feel both political and religious leaders would learn a lot from the lives of the many young people featured in the memoir. It’s also a good read for young people trying to understand their sexuality, even as they discuss the subject with their parents. On the other hand, it will be less suitable for those who dislike references to homosexuality.

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Big Bunches At The Jam Factory
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Finakaranja · Post by **Finakaranja** » 26 May 2020, 09:24

Good and genuine review. It's both supportive and appropriately critical of the book and its content.

Adanna Inya · Post by **Adanna Inya** » 26 May 2020, 11:07

I actually read every line of your review twice because I felt like I went through life with the author. This book contains quite a lot that may be a little too much for me to take in, especially the deaths. And I agree with you that homosexuality is a learned trait. Thanks for a beautiful review.