Dragula

A Transgender Tale

By: John Arthur Long

Narrated by: John Arthur Long

Dragula is a tale filled with sensitivity to personal struggle, raucous humor, and musical entertainment. Peter, a vulnerable young man, makes the decision to transition, becoming the gender and human being he was meant to be.

Unfortunately, Peter’s stage persona of the musical entertainer Dragula draws the judgmental ire of the Right Reverend Bobby Swagger. Reverend Swagger is determined to prove by whatever means necessary that Peter’s lifestyle and entertainment choices are sinful and wrong. Finally, Peter finds the courage to open up to those around him, and take an uncompromising stand against bigotry, proving that it’s alright to be true to yourself, no matter what lifestyle you choose.

Author’s note: Dragula: A Transgender Tale conveys a message that is clearly and uncompromisingly stated by the main character: “Bigotry, the inability to tolerate the differences in others, is one of the great flaws of our society!” Moreover, when presenting entertainment that represents individuals of the LGBTQIA community, I have endeavored to be sensitive to the courage these individuals have shown and empathetic to what they have endured by living in a manner that allows them to be true to themselves.

©2019 John Arthur Long (P)2019 Vellum Publishing

Entertaining yet poignant story

Dragula written and performed by John Arthur Long is a poignant and moving book of one’s struggle to be accepted. Written with jarring humor and a musical style that is both entertaining and touching.

Peter a.k.a. Dragula comes to the attention of Reverend Bobby Swagger who is bent on condemning the lifestyle as sinful and corrupt in the eyes of his religious belief. Peter must come to terms with his choices and find the strength to be true to himself and others as well as standing up against intolerance and biases.

Long develops the characters fully and gives each one a personality that is an exaggeration to prove everyone deserves the opportunity to live one’s life fully and on their own terms regardless of societal beliefs. While I found the personality of the Reverend pretentious, self-righteous, and judgmental I found myself seeing a man with his own complex identity issue. Dragula’s (Peter’s) struggle is clearly not funny but to communicate the issue accurately, the writing style Long uses drives home the struggle more clearly. While I am not a fan of theatrical performances, it was well delivered in this book. The other characters – Uncle Juicy and the three “witches” were richly described and performed.

I thought Long was not only sensitive but also compassionate, understanding, and encouraging of the LGBTQ community and those who struggle to be true to one’s self while trying to exist outside societal acceptance.

As the narrator, Long gave a wonderful performance. He gave each character the right voice to fit their character and moved the story along with the right amount of emotion. His rhythm was smooth and well-timed.

John Arthur Long also wrote and performed the music, very well done and all songs tied into the storyline perfectly.

There were no issues with the audio or production quality of this audiobook. It was clear and well-done.

Disclaimer: This audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.