The life of Stephan Sure, born John Gregory Suhor, began serenely and ended violently in New Orleans. He was both participant and voyeur in the city's middle class, upper class, and gay cultures, yet never found a true home in any of them, nor during his years in Florida, the Midwest, or his sporadic hitchhikes to nowhere. Throughout, Sure kept with him three notebooks comprising The Book of Rude: short lines ranging from insults and puns to social commentaries and cries for help. Born from these rude witticisms is this collection of poetry and short stories that in total represent the...