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latenightyams's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
5.0
I recommend picking up a physical copy of this, if you're able. It's big in every sense of the word: size, scope, ambition, historical value. If you are interested in queer history, American politics, activism, oral histories, and/or New York City, this deserves a place on your shelf.
seo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
biedermeier_margo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
doesitcomeinpurple's review against another edition
5.0
Everyone needs to read this book. ACT UP New York saved lives during a time when all parts of society (government, church, media) were actively ignoring HIV/AIDS and were actively harming people with AIDS.
perazo's review against another edition
4.0
This was so good. It was a big and ambitious project that took two decades to complete, and it was messy, painful, and genuinely awe-inspiring. While I felt it was hard at times to follow (that being said, I listened to the audiobook version which might have been a factor,) I ultimately enjoyed how this was structured. There's an impressive level of detail about how ACT UP's many, many members (not just white gays) organized and won against various injustices, but the book just as equally humanizes those who died from the AIDS crisis.
hiltonfarmer's review against another edition
5.0
I had to put this down and pick it back up a couple of times. Reading about so much death and suffering is difficult but worthwhile. As a queer man who remembers the AIDS epidemic as a child but came of age in a different time, this was essential reading. Being gay used to mean something. The beauty and fun and suffering and sex and anger intersected to make a community who changed the world forever.
finnthehuman217's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a while to get Thru this book because of its length but I love how much better this book is for representation of women and POC In act up and I feel like this is way beyond what I expected to read. It was sad and funny and shocking. Like it is written by a CSI professor but I didn’t expect the author to name drop prominent members of the faculty of csi including Cynthia Chris and Jason Simon. It is all so cool! I really do enjoy the book and if you like oral histories this book is for you! I read the audiobook but also purchased a copy of the physical book to read along bc it helped lol. Thank you professor schulman for a great read!!!
parksystems's review against another edition
5.0
id always had respect for ACT UP, but this book thru interviews, experience of active members, deeply personal stories... it was deeply inspiring, moving, devastating and hopeful. ive been in so many activist spaces where action and results are an uphill battle. while i cant even fathom the urgency heaving your and your friends lives so literally on the line, learning about the way in which ACT UP operated to get real work done is useful for anyone in change making and organizing. i also realized how so much of the late 90s activism i came into, with radical health workshops etc, was very shaped by the paradigms and methods ACT UP cultivated. This left me just super grateful for the people of ACT UP, what they were able to set in motion / accomplish, and this book.
benplatt's review against another edition
5.0
Really incredible. You couldn't ask for a more in-depth history of a social movement, nor one that so thoroughly dispels many of the misconceptions surrounding it. Not only is this book an incredible historical achievement, but the political analysis that Schulman weaves into history stands as one of the most insightful manuals on organizing a social movement that I've ever read. But not only that! This project is also the culmination of a huge oral history project that balances Schulman's perspective against the many, many voices that comprised the movement. The history held in this book is unparalleled and the many brilliant choices Schulman made throughout the research and writing of this book make it genuinely unlike any other book of history or activism I can think of, and it is better for it. Even with its enormous page count, it's extremely readable! What a feat this entire project is. Can't recommend it enough.