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homosexual man unknowingly in trouble with the law Jul 21, 2009
Mr. Cornelio has a story to tell about his personal sexual life, a story that definitely needs told. He describes his initial family and how his family life, or lack of, affected his life style forever. He was attracted to young and/or younger males, enjoying their company for socializing and sexual favors. When he was young he attracted almost anyone he wanted to him if they had the same sexual lifestyle. He never forced himself on anyone, never having to in getting what he wanted. He always tried to keep it legal, not having any relations with under-aged males, but eventually that accusation is what messed up his life with the law.
James is a very intelligent man as one can see from his writing, sometimes using words and terms above the average persons knowledge, but in general he gets his point across. Whether you condone homosexual or lesbian living or not, it is the choice some people make for their life. Some claim it is a genetic feature that is handed down, wanted or not while others claim it is something one makes of themselves over time. Many people, as James explains, start as happily married couples, sometimes with children. Then something occurs that sways their thinking and actions towards their same sex. Who are we to know and approve or condemn.
James tells of his intimacies as life goes on without going into a deep sexual description but rather his general life styles with another male. As he got older, and sometimes even when younger, he paid for sex but not with his regular partners, most of who stuck by him through all his problems as they developed through life. The one mistake he felt he must have committed that got him into trouble with the law was with a young boy who he thought was of legal age but apparently was not.
James long trek through lawyers and courts, delays and ongoing examinations by professionals to search his mind and life for troubles, seemed to go on forever. When a court appearance was scheduled, he would appear but so many times it was cancelled or postponed. He had hired a lawyer that some of his personal friends thought he should have fired but money was getting to be an issue so he stuck with Max. After reading "Two To Six" I wondered what James's life is now like as far as employment, friends, locations, etc. I truly hope he has found peace within and has learned to stay out of situations that could get him in trouble.
 So what? Jun 30, 2009
"Two to Six: A Sex Offender's Story" by James P. Cornelio is the story of the author's life after being arrested of having sex with a minor. The author was an attorney, knew better than to have solicited the sex with a minor, but didn't seem worried until he was caught. Did he learn anything form this experience, maybe, it was hard to tell. Did this reader feel sorry for him? No. Was the book worth reading, maybe? It is well written, but having no sympathy, I didn't care how it ended.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Insightful Look At The Shades of Gray Jun 25, 2009
The thoughts that ran through my head before beginning this book were all over the place. Here I am a mother to two teenage boys, and I am about to read the memoir of a man whose been convicted of crimes against male children. I thought perhaps I may be angry, or disapproving or even disgusted, but I never expected to feel proud of this author for having the strength and courage to tell his story. But I did. Does that make me a bad person? No, I don't think so. And I also don't think that James Cornelio is a bad person either. Regardless of what he was accused, convicted or guilty of. Reading this memoir gave me the view from the other side, having read a few stories of survivors of abuse, Two To Six: A Sex Offender's Story was the first I'd read from the perspective of the accused. And it changed how I think of convicted sexual offenders, it made me realize that behind that title there is indeed a person, and a story.
James Cornelio's story seems a simple one, but becomes complex as more details become apparent. A respected, successful lawyer with a loving family and a close circle of friends and acquaintances. But he seemed to be leading a dual existence, bringing home young male prostitutes was his secret pleasure. Prostitution is something that goes back to the beginning of time, and happens in every culture. Whether trading sexual services for money, goods or social stature, it is something that has been going on for ages and is likely to continue, regardless of laws. My views on prostitution are probably more lax than the average person, I don't support it, but I also don't rally against it. Women, men and children being forced into prostitution is wrong. But there are those out there who decide to do it, whether for the quick cash or enjoyment of it. And not all of these people are able to live in places that allow it, or to find a safe house to work out of. So they end up on the streets hustling for money. And so James was a regular customer in certain areas where young men were offering their services. The young men were willing to sell something that Mr. Cornelio wanted. A business exchange, although not the type most people think is appropriate. But what can you do?
Making the situation a little more complex is that, just like everyone, James Cornelio had a certain type of person he was attracted to. He preferred younger men. However he stresses throughout his book that this does not include children or pre-pubescent boys. He likes young men. Which to me isn't all that strange, considering that everywhere one looks we are bombarded by the sexual embodiment of the young, the beautiful, the strong. Billboards, commercials, movies, music, television, even video games - they all seem to be saying that youth equals sexy. But regardless of what society and the media tell us we want, we all have a responsibility to behave in a morally and socially acceptable way. We need to take charge of our desires and control them with responsibility and thought. We cannot allow our passions to take over and cloud out judgments.
A loss of control is what I believe led Mr. Cornelio to find himself facing charges that would change his life forever. I think he got so caught up in the pleasures of his life that he was unable to clearly see what was happening to him. Or perhaps his subconscious mind didn't allow him to fully comprehend the dangerous terrain he was entering. The sexual desire for young people just coming into man (or woman) hood is a trait known as Hebephilia. It seems to be a tricky thing to define however, since all people mature differently. So a young man of twenty could very well be mistaken for fourteen and vice versa. But this is still no excuse for having sexual contact with a minor. This is where responsible behavior comes in. If Mr. Cornelio was going to consort with male prostitutes who appealed to his taste, he should have been more careful. Granted he was already breaking the law, but why not be that much safer and comfort yourself with the knowledge that the person consenting to the transaction was legally able to consent? Perhaps this could have saved James from falling into the legal, personal and spiritual disaster he found himself in.
Such is life though, what happens in the past cannot be changed. All we can hope for is to learn from our mistakes, to grow stronger with the pain of regrets and to try to live a better life, become a better person. After reading Two To Six and seeing what James went through, I do believe that he has done all that. At the beginning of the story he vehemently denies being a sexual offender, but bit by bit he comes to see that what he did was wrong, his control was gone and he needed to find a new way to live. I talk a lot about enjoying fiction that displays character development and personal growth, and this work of non-fiction has some of the most powerful insights into these things that I've ever seen. I truly believe that this author has laid himself open mind and soul, in order to help people understand that just because someone has done wrong in the past, it does not mean they are evil, inhuman and bound to continue doing wrong. Yes, there are those who will never learn from their mistakes, who are damaged beyond repair, who will continue to re-offend at every instance. But there are also those who can change, who realize only too late that they may be going too far. James Cornelio will forever be known as a sex offender, but that doesn't mean he will always be one. I believe that with his supportive, loving family, his faith and his spiritual and personal rebirth, Mr. Cornelio is a new person.
Two To Six is a wonderfully presented memoir, the author has written this in a way that feels he is personally relating his story to you. It does not come across as a defense of his actions nor as an apology for his crimes. It is straight-forward, honest and informative. It's also a tale of one man's spiritual journey, complete with stumbles, wrong-turns and despair. While I don't condone Mr. Cornelios' past behaviors I do recommend this book for it's ability to give a different perspective on a situation. With the National databases of sexual offenders available to the public in the USA (often with incorrect information) many people have become targets of violence. But just as you cannot say all Republicans, all country singers, all giraffes are the same - you also cannot say all sexual offenders are the same. Each has varying details to consider. Before, if you had asked me if I would allow a convicted sexual offender into my home, to sit at my table, to eat dinner with my family - I would have said Hell No! But now I've come to see that we cannot allow all-encompassing titles and past actions to overpower our judgments. Everything is not black and white - and to ignore the gray will only show the desire for ignorance.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
A Cautionary Tale Jun 18, 2009
Now and again a memoir is written that instructs in a profound, life affirming fashion. I found TWO TO SIX, written by James Cornelio, to be such a memoir. It takes the reader on a literary ride of great velocity.
The author's story is all the more compelling because of his background. He was raised a Roman Catholic, attended a Jesuit high school, attended Cornell as an undergraduate, and studied law at Fordham where he was a member of the Law Review. He went on to become a partner at a prestigious law firm in Manhattan where he practiced for over twenty years. In addition to having been a successful lawyer,
Mr. Cornelio is now clearly a talented writer who has looked into his mind and soul with stark honesty. Once I started reading the book I could not put it down and when I did,I was haunted by the story of one man's horrible loss.
The bones of the story are basically this. The author was arrested for soliciting a minor for sex, a male prostitute working the streets of Greenwich Village. His subsequent journey through the labyrinth of the New York State criminal justice system is a chilling sojourn by any standard. Through all of this he was represented by a highly skilled attorney who believed the author would never do time. In the end ... well, read it to find out.
It is the inner workings of the author's mind, his heart, his inner dialogue that keeps the reader keenly interested. Whether or not he ends up going to prison is almost beside the point as the story really engages because of the vivid description of the unfolding events and how the author is changed by the entire experience, how he is transformed and at what cost.
This is a cautionary tale beautifully told without pity.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Hard to Read Jun 15, 2009
This book was ok. I just couldn't really get into it. The author is basically writing an autobiography of his life from when he got arrested for having sex with a minor until the current day. His writing is hard to understand at times. He seems to transition from dialogue to narrative way too much which makes it hard to read the book. It also appears that he is trying to justify to himself some of what occurred during the year in his life and so there are many questions he is asking that there really are no answered for.
I did finish the book as I was curious on what the outcome was. However, I did find it hard to be sympathetic to the author as he knew partly what he was doing was wrong and illegal. I was very frustrated with his lawyer in this matter. He would constantly ask about the tape and the pictures and all his lawyer kept saying was later, later. I certainly don't think I would have stuck around with his lawyer until the end. I mean, the author couldn't really remember what he had done that weekend (as he was drunk) so how can you fight something that you have no idea what the charges are or what the evidence they have against you? It just seemed like he (the author) knew he was wrong and didn't really want to fight hard because he knew he was guilty. This book would be good to read if you are researching gay sexual offenders - other than that, not a very intriguing or easy read. I would think most people would have put it down by page 100 and not looked back at this book.
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