by Jocelyn Loren

DIRTY POLITICS

These days, it seems authors of erotica need to do little more than arrange a few cleverly crafted sentences, slap sex in the title and adorn the cover with a scantily-clad homo sapien to have readers grunting like Neanderthals; but Sex for America: Politically Inspired Erotica is so much more. The 24 fictional short stories — written by as many authors and edited by Stephen Elliot — draw their characters from the names and faces of Capitol Hill, and while mental images of Dick “Li’l Dickens” Cheney in “big-girl panties” may not meet XTube’s “most viewed” criteria — you’re just so curious. Harper Perennial, $13.95

IT HAPPENED MANY NIGHTS

A closeted A-list actor living in sexual secrecy for fear of losing work to a closed-minded, un-accepting, straight society? Impossible! The sexual connections to leading women, the marriages—they’re all part of an apparent web of lies in Clark Gable: Tormented Star by David Bret. The 287-page “tell-all” claims to document the juicy details of the hunkiest of Hollywood’s hunky heartthrobs. From his humble roots as a necktie salesman, to his rise to stardom and everything in between—or below depending on whom you ask—Tormented Star has the dirt right out of a celebrity gossip mag from the ’30s. Carrol & Graf, $26

ASKING AND TELLING

Openly gay, three-time New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice takes a bold departure from his previous work, writing entirely from a heterosexual man’s perspective in a fictional account of dishonor, disgrace, redemption and revenge in Blind Fall. A contemporary military backdrop sets the stage for a Marine who owes his life to a brutally murdered soldier and must face his own homophobia to repay his debt of honor and turn failure into victory. Set for a March 11 release, Blind Fall is a classic tale with a modern twist and a queer spin—hey, it worked for reality television. Scribner, $26

THE TRUTH WILL SET YOU FREE

L.B. White takes readers on a journey to discover inconvenient truths and beautiful tragedies in an autobiography that wraps them neatly into a package of wit, humor and hope. Tales of a Zany Mystic, candidly chronicles one man's life coming to terms with his sexuality, combines the tribulations of HIV, stirs in an hallucinogenic dose of LSD and tops it off with an uncomfortable pinch of bestiality for a jaw-dropping, vividly honest serving of food for the soul—a pleasantly surprising source for inspiration. BookSurge, $14.99