PrivateTim

JP could have gone Claremont the weekend BEFORE Andre arrived to let Jeff know how important he was. JP was selfish. Shit happens. Life isn't fair. Andre made his choice. Others in this story do too. It sure helps to have a few million to ease your pain. How about the poor people whose baby gets cancer. https://www.instagram.com/luna_perrone/

Manwhore? John Paul is 26 and has been with like 8 men. His grandson William had 56 men bagged by his 16th birthday. He'll be at 60 by the end of Gap Year. We had this discussion in another story. The U.S. was absolutely in the right in Vietnam. While the government of South Vietnam was far from perfect, the Communist government of North Vietnam was seeking to remove all freedoms that the Vietnamese people enjoyed and used the terrorist group Viet Cong to slaughter their own people. After the U.S. removed troops and the North broke the Paris accords and invaded the South, the North didn't throw a party and hand out ice cream cones. 2 million people fled the country, 300,000 went into concentration camps and 500,000 just disappeared. So no, the U.S. was not in the wrong. Because JP is probably realizing he should have been completely honest with Jeff. Then based on Jeff's reaction, JP should have driven or flown to Claremont that weekend before Andre arrived and shown Jeff he cared. Lastly, a U.S. Army Sergeant would never salute a civilian, except maybe the CIC.

And its 1, 2,3 what are we fighting for? Don't ask me I don't give a damn, The next stop is Vietnam, And its 5, 6,7 open up the pearly gates, Well there ain't no time to wonder why Damn that Kennedy sending our boys to Vietnam!

Seems to me Fred gets his ass kicked again later in the story.

Or is he a Predator of vulnerable people? I've already admitted to my own peccadillos in high school with drunk friends, but in fairness, they were my peers and assumed me to be as drunk as they were. That is more akin to JP's situation with Billy, but not Stef, Jeff, Jason, Scott. and Peter.

I've always been a contrarian, I guess that is why I became a lawyer, but I don't get why everyone loves Gail so much. She does somethings that are good and nice, other things.... enh. I'm also disappointed that JP betrayed Billy's confidence. He could have danced around the issue and still gotten Gail to Groton; she can do math, when the baby was born and did look like premmie, she'd know. And now that the damn has broken on JP's homosexuality, he's taking more and more risks to satisfy his libido. It isn't that he doesn't deserve happiness, but he is risk one happiness, that seems to be bigger than temporal happiness.

These last couple of chapters have made me think less of JP. It was okay to dig up the dirt on Jensen, even to send it to Jensen, but what he did with Mallory was inexcusable and incredibly dangerous to JP's future.

I don't get why JP would do this with Mallory. It seems so out of character for JP, a huge risk on so many levels and quite frankly cruel.

Andre was Soulmate 1.0. If circumstances allowed would there ever have been others? How long would a straight man remain committed to a gay one, especially in 1962?

Northwestern is a lot like Stanford, no dummies get in just to play football. In 1962 the head coach was Ara Parseghian, I am surprised you didn't use him in the story. The thing that keeps shocking me is the low cost of everything, $1,400 for a construction crew for a week's worth, $2.50 for breakfast and so on.

How does a 5'7" man surprise and kiss a man 6'5"? Jensen is easy to figure out. His time has come and gone and he resents those more talented and with a future.

Have I ever mentioned I am not a fan of Hayes men in general? Which Jeff is the real Jeff? The drunk bully (in vino veritas), Jeff the snuggler or the Jeff of the future?

LOL. I like Jeff. You like all the asswipes; I like all the nice guys. 😁

I think JP was uncharacteristically asshole-ish in parts of this chapter. Neither one of his parents has even done anything that deserve his bitterness or uncharitable thoughts. I also think CAP would have been a much better story if Jeff Hayes were decapitated at the Mill in a horrible workplace accident in the next chapter..

Suck it up buttercup. The Cramptons are your parents plain and simple.

Oh I think no one is tortured than JP, but he brings a lot of the teasing onto himself. It is also notable that Stef has made his first altruistic gesture. In the years to come he will remember his youth, then his good fortune and be generous to a fault. But I DO remember what is coming up

It is always nice to have that classic Arbour prick tease at the end of a chapter, but when young Stefan said he had a friend at the Sorbonne, wouldn't it have been natural for John Paul to ask whom at that time? Sheridan Road is a place that always brings gladness to my heart having spent many a happy day jogging along next to the lake.

I don't know what everyone is yammering about. This Stefan kid seems like a pain in the ass. He'll probably never amount to anything! 🤣🤣😁

In later books we see this almost deified version of Andre. In this chapter he is just another CAP asshole whose dick and his own desires are more important than friendship.

It is funny how simple decisions have huge ripple effects. Would Mark even have written CAP if JP had been accepted at Brown or gone to Berkeley.... oh wait. 🤣 So many funny things in this in chapter like Brylcream. I never used hair products, other than saltwater, the CA beach boy version of hair products, but I remember a time when hair gel was all the rage with my friends who spiked their hair. And Rotten Groton, my grandfather did some time there so we stopped by on one of our family visits to the CT landmarks that were my family heritage. Lastly, I wonder why JP didn't apply to Columbia, that seemed like it would be a natural for him, or maybe Tulane, New Orleans was famous for its tolerance, even if the Deep South was not.

Vella was there, just as I’d hoped, with genuine warm hugs. There was no physical distance with Vella; she just grabbed you, pulled you in, and wrapped her arms around you. I think we need to do a DNA check on Vella. That description of Vella's hug sounds like the description of so many Hayes Hugs, especially Robbie. If she snaughs, the DNA test will be unnecessary Now, spraying to all fields on other thoughts that popped up. Rereading this story close to 20 years or so after I first read it is different. I see things not just from the perspective of someone older, but I see it in light of all the events that have transpired in that time and what has changed since 1962, at least in my understanding. The schools in Claremont were not segregated as a matter of policy, but based on geography. Sammy went to Claremont West, he wasn't made to go to East Claremont High, as would have been the case in true segregation. JP and Andre go to a bar. I believe in 1962 in Ohio that means people 18 and older would have been there. I've always wondered how weird it would have been to be a 19 year old in a state where you could drink legally and then all of a sudden you were banned from the bar until you hit 21. I think the changing of the drinking age, combined with the ending of the draft was the beginning of the infantilization of the American male. I don't know if mandatory national service, military or civilian is practical in a country the size of the U.S., but I think there would be huge benefits to 18 year olds who were not going to college to leave home for a year or two to mature and see more of the world. I think the lack of a military draft contributed to the general apathy about Gulf War II that so perturbed an older JP. JP, when he was at Harvard would have had to take mandatory ROTC classes and participate in ROTC drills. That doesn't mean that every Harvard student had to go into the military, but every Harvard student did have to have exposure to the U.S. military. In WWI and WWII the ranks of the U.S. military were full of Ivy League elites; something that I think is sadly missing today. Harvard has more Medal of Honor winners than any other university save West Point and Annapolis. The last point is how JP imagines his parents would react to having a gay son. That part reminds me so much of The Best Little Boy In The World, a book that had a huge impact on my life. I think many people in the 1960s and 70s were reacting as others around them reacted. It was the expected behavior, no one wanted to buck the system. The dichotomy was that they acted that way because they thought they didn't know anyone gay, but when it turned out they had a gay nephew, son, cousin, etc that changed. I can think of a notable figure in this story that that is true of, but they shall remain nameless so as to not be a spoiler.

Wow it is so easy to takes the conveniences we have for granted; things like smartphones so we can instantly connect with people, ATMs to get cash whenever we need it/want it and credit cards. There weren't answer machines or voicemail in 1962, so if someone wasn't home, there was no way to let them know you'd called. I think the BankAmericard was one of the few charge cards available in 1962. JP is 25 at this point and it seems so odd he is such a neophyte when it comes to gay sex; another thing we take for granted with the Internet and the ability to find partners and porn to your heart's content. In 1962 to get gay porn you'd have to go to a bookstore in a sleazy part of town and pay way too much for very tame stuff. Wild.

The "cop" was most likely a campus cop and in 1962 I don't think campus police departments are what they are today, modern professional police forces. I watch a TV show called Adam-12 sometimes, a cop show from the early 1970s I believe. The show was produced by Jack Webb of Dragnet fame and like Dragnet was made with the full cooperation and support of the LAPD so there was a great deal of authenticity about the show. What I find shocking is how primitive some of the police procedures seem compared to today. So maybe the campus cop would remember the face, but unlikely he'd gotten any ID or even a name yet. I just know if I was JP and Peter, I'd be finding a new place to hang out besides that bathroom. It also bothers me that JP didn't have enough rationality about him to realize he was hanging out by that bathroom too much. Once a restroom acquired a reputation, just being seen near it could have been enough to ruin a reputation. I was also disappointed that JP took the risks he did with Andre. It seems way out of character for JP to take such a risk.

I find it amazing that glory holes exist today. I get them in the 1960s when a lot of gay sex was anonymous, quick and impersonal and that was out of necessity and self preservation. But as gay rights and technology grew, why? Who wants sex in a place with the smells that Mark described. The lack of reviews is because when this story first appeared on GA, there weren't reviews and such. Most of the commentary happened in forums. I vaguely remember the old site. What is interesting in this first chapter is how people like John Paul and Soft Voice are risking utter ruin, but cannot contain their sexual drive, even though they know what exposure means. JP wasn't just a student, he was the scion of wealthy, powerful family, whose income derives from Crampton Construction. Think of Crampton like Kiewit Construction, a private construction company from Omaha. In 2020 Kiewit had income estimated at $10.8 billion. That kind of money brings a lot of power and prestige. It is always sad to read how life was for gay men in past generations.

I am about to reread this story, I think some 20 plus years after I first read it. I discovered GayAuthors.org because of Mark. I started by reading his Bridgemont series because I'd read a similar series by author Patrick O'Brian (one that omitted all the fornicating that surely happened in His Majesty's Navy). I was reluctant to read the Chronicles Of An Academic Predator because I found the title off putting. Did I really want to read about a predator? Apparently I did because I an now eagerly awaiting the 79th chapter of the 17th book of the Chronicles Of An Academic Predator series. Mark is such a talented writer because he has made me love and care about these people, JP and his partners and children and now grandchildren. It is funny how angry and perturbed I can be at a fictional character, but I suppose that is the point. They don't feel fictional, they feel like real friends or family members. I'd encourage anyone looking for a great read with characters who are real and relatable, with tremendous insights on life and how events, both external and internal, can shape us, to embark on this adventure with JP Crampton and the Schluter families. You will not be disappointed and you have 16 more books after this to answer the question, 'I wonder what happened to (fill in blank with favorite character from a favorite book) after this'. With the CAP series you get to find out what happens to the characters as you follow them over a 42 year span and counting.