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The Maintenance Man.


The Maintenance Man by Michael Baisden Simon Schuster, October 2000, $13.00, ISBN ISBN
abbr.
International Standard Book Number


ISBN International Standard Book Number

ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 
 0-743-20478-1

In today's literature many authors are not willing to make the protagonist of their book a stereotype. While at times exaggerated, Baisden successfully incorporates the mythical gigolo gig·o·lo  
n. pl. gig·o·los
1. A man who has a continuing sexual relationship with and receives financial support from a woman.

2. A man who is hired as an escort or a dancing partner for a woman.
 into an engrossing engrossing, in English law, practice of acquiring a monopoly of goods in order to sell them at an inflated price. The offense was ordinarily limited to monopolies of foods. Related practices were forestalling, i.e.  read.

The Maintenance Man is a soap opera soap opera

Broadcast serial drama, characterized by a permanent cast of actors, a continuing story, tangled interpersonal situations, and a melodramatic or sentimental style.
 tale of a professional prostitute named Malcolm Terrell, who begins struggling with the morality of his sex-for-money career thanks to three influential figures in his life: his best friend Simon Harris; his mentor Melvin Butler; and the love of his life, Antoinette Grayson. Baisden first introduces readers to Malcolm 12 years earlier at his father's funeral where we overhear o·ver·hear  
v. o·ver·heard , o·ver·hear·ing, o·ver·hears

v.tr.
To hear (speech or someone speaking) without the speaker's awareness or intent.

v.intr.
 his confession that he continues his father's using and abusing legacy.

From there the story dives right into Malcolm's sexual adventures and hectic lifestyle which progress sensationally until he meets Toni, a beautiful brown-eyed classical dancer. The book also tells the other side of the "male gigolo syndrome" through Teddy, a stripper Stripper

Slang for an individual homeowner who strips the equity out of his or her home through mortgage refinancing. Proceeds are generally not re-invested, but spent on consumer goods.

Notes:

Most people get rich by saving and investing wisely.
 for hire who doesn't get paid, but profits from sleeping with his clients. The story offers a relatively realistic view into who these men and women are who supply and demand these services.

But the view can sometimes be too clear. Baisden is overly descriptive when setting the scene around the story. For example, the author spends a page and a half introducing Toni to the story. Too much time is spent on things that are not important to the overall story. Every time a character is mentioned, Baisden has a tendency to explain, in excessive detail, what they are wearing and how they look--down to the make of their sunglasses. The Maintenance Man is more like a nighttime soap opera mixed with a sitcom, than a love story. However, if you want a fantasy escape from everyday life, then Baisden's got your quick fix.

Roger Waiter is a filmmaker and financier residing in the Bronx, New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of
.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Cox, Matthews & Associates
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2001, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Title Annotation:Review
Author:Waiter, Roger
Publication:Black Issues Book Review
Article Type:Book Review
Date:Jan 1, 2001
Words:321
Previous Article:If I Could.(Review)(Brief Article)
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