Over the years, I’ve read a fair share of gay pulp books. In my view, they loosely fit into two categories: one, they can be the equivalent of a porn movie, with no real character development or plot… the book is essentially one long sex scene, or a series of various sex scenes (Bound for Pleasure was a good example of this, as well as many pulp books from the 80s).
Second are the books that are much more literary… they actually have a plot and a degree of character development. Some, not very much (like The Boy Master or Adventures of a High School Hunk), but others are surprisingly literate, nearly to the point where the gay sex is practically incidental (Locker Room Lovers and Go Down Aaron).
Not too long ago, I read a book called Meat by Lambert Wilhelm, which, to my surprise, is actually about the meat industry. It was also one of the few books where the scene on the cover actually happened in the book (all too often, the covers of the book rarely reflect what actually happens in the book). Armed with this knowledge, I became curious to read another of his books, Teacher in Chains. While it says it was written by Kyle Reich, that is another pseudonym for Lambert Wilhelm. And after years of searching, it finally popped up on eBay. Sure enough, the scene on the cover does actually happen in the book (though more of it later).
Written in 1979, there is a bit of a plot. Ex-miltary vet Ernest Klammer is taking a teaching position at the very tough Garfield High School. For most teachers, it’s a dumping ground for the worst of the worst… both students and faculty. He meets both the principal and his assistant, who get a small but surprisingly intimate backstory (the principal is a closeted gay and the assistant is a black lesbian), who inform him that this a very tough, gang-ridden school that most steer clear to avoid… but Ernest specifically requested to work at this school.
Fearless because of his strong military background and his good looks, he has no problem whipping the students into shape. Juan, head of a gang, is quickly taken down into submission, and he won’t even tell his best friend Diego what happened…. Juan just tells him to steer clear of Klammer.
Klammer, in the meantime, has a dream where he’s chained up in front of his classroom and is sexually taunted by the members of the gang, including Juan and Diego. He wakes up a bit alarmed and confused… he’s exclusively a top, yet can’t deny his erect cock upon waking from the dream.
In the meantime, after a lot of prodding, Diego gets Juan to eventually confess that Klammer sexually used him inside the classroom after school. Diego, who secretly has a bit of a crush on Ernest, is shocked, but also turned on.
In a surprise twist, at a gang fight, Juan is killed. Diego sees this as an opportunity to manipulate Klammer into giving him some of his “discipline” as well, and deliberately starts acting up.
Klammer takes the bait, and fucks Diego over his desk after school. Not only is it the best lay he’s ever had, but he notices some cum on his desk, which he realizes must’ve been from Diego… and in all the years he’s “disciplined” students like this, not one has burst a load over it.
Over time, Klammer and Diego basically evolve into an affair. But after numerous meets where Diego always bottoms, he asks Klammer if he’s ever been the bottom. Ernest pretends to be shocked and initially denies it, but eventually confesses his dream to Diego. Diego tells him that perhaps Ernest would be an even better top if he knew what it was like as a bottom.
Ernest agrees, and now finds himself finding at least part of his dream is now true… Diego has him chained up in his classroom, and bends him over the desk to be used. Klammer secretly likes it, and while the rest of the gang does not show up (Diego wants to keep him for himself), the book ends with Klammer accepting his new role as a bottom.
While not as intricate of a plot as his other book Meat, it did have a plot, although it wasn’t all that great in my opinion. Plus, while ages are never really mentioned, he is abusing high school kids. It is implied these are older kids, so they could be over 18… frankly, as I recall, the book never really gets into it. But it is a fantasy, so I’ll give it a pass.
I was most disturbed and put off by the casual racist language, which I omitted here but is quite present throughout the book. Klammer uses a lot of derogatory language and descriptions of the students, as well as very racist views of the Asian people he used sexually (and then killed) while in Vietnam (told in passing as a memory). I suppose it was a product of the times, but those parts were pretty uncomfortable to read.
But I will give the book some credit for living up to it’s cover. I also wish it were less about fucking, which was pretty much the exclusive sex act in the book… no real blow jobs or rimming. He would eventually give Diego a hand job as he was fucking him, but that was about it. And there’s no real slave play or verbal, despite the chains. Bit of a mixed bag for me.
