The View From A Roadside Madhouse

About the Book

The View From A Roadside Madhouse is a philosophical, humorous, poetic, and fantasy work, using madness as a basic theme. It deals with the subjects of Satanism (urging common sense and fairness toward this religion, instead of the usual hysteria, sensationalism, and scapegoating that are shown toward it), interage love and sex (about the North American Man/Boy Love Association ---- N.A.M.B.L.A ----- and the possibility of legitimate and consensual interage love and sex, such as was practiced by Plato, Socrates, and the ancient Greeks and Romans, generally, and other ancient cultures, and an equal and even-handed condemnation only of nonconsensual, manipulated, and exploitative pederasty), and Jesus and his distortion by Christians through the centuries (as should be quite evident to everyone, whether they admit it or not). It begins with a poem about a freak show dime museum in New York and it's varied inhabitants and the photographer Diane Arbus, who photographed them and was one of them, in her way, and then I write about my favorite social and religious rebels and outcasts (Grigori Yefimovitch Rasputin, the Yezidis, and Loki). My next subjects are the Brethren of the Free Spirit (a 15th century religious sect), black racism (about the bigotry of the Nation of Islam and all other like-minded black individuals and groups), a poem to beer, presidential extramarital sexual relations (citing William Jefferson Clinton, specifically, as the current and most obvious example of this practice, but also it's practitioners throughout our history, defending it as long as they get the work done for which they were elected), defenses of nonconformity and individuality, my personal and family histories and my Pagan name anagrams, a parody of The Diary of Vaslav Nijinsky, and beards and bald heads (and the bigotry about them).

About the Author

John D. Partin, born July 28, 1955 in Flint, Michigan. I'm a free style spiritualist minister of the Universal Life Church, great admirer of Grigori Yefimovitch Rasputin, Free Spiritist, and new Reiki Master. I'm a graduate of the University of Michigan, Baker Business College, Chauffeur’s Training School, and the American School of Bartending. I have four brothers and one sister, three nieces, and other relatives scattered around in Arkansas, Kentucky, and other places. I have worked as a courier, display marketeer, chauffer, caretaker, cashier, janitor, delivery person, ice cream and ticket vendor, newspaper preparer, and pizza maker. I'm interested in the occult and practice numerology, rune casting, palmistry. I currently reside in Anchorage, Alaska.