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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
slow-paced
An amazing book; such a thorough look at the gay movement in the United States and so easy to read. An excellent reference book for any essay or project.
Another background read for my summer research. I didn’t enjoy this one as much as the last, it was less readable and took me longer to get through it. I also didn’t think the anecdote format was executed very well as she didn’t do a lot of the work needed to thread them all together in a good way. That being said, it’s still important history and context for my project so glad I read it.
This is quite the book: obviously the cumulative of a lifetime of scholarship. Some parts dragged a little and in other parts, I wanted more, but I don't fault Faderman at all. It's quite the feat to capture 100 years of movement history in one book. She did it here.
I think this should be read by everyone, especially other queer people like myself. It is an incredibly detailed history of gay life and rights in the States and the overlap with women's rights, BIPOC's rights, and human rights in general.
This is a thick book but well written enough that I didn't feel its length. I chose this purposely for June and the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, and I'm glad I did. It's a stark reminder of how far we've come but how much of it has been so recent and can be easily undone.
It's also infuriating to know that we essentially end up going through slightly different variations of this struggle with each "minority" group. I wish we as a species didn't have to repeat this over and over again. I wish we didn't think oppressing others makes us powerful when it clearly does not. I wish humans were better to one another.
I will never get over the neglect of the powerful during the AIDS crisis. We lost almost an entire generation of gay men because of fear and hatred, and I can't not be mad about that.
And now politicians are targeting our trans kin, because they just cannot stand the idea of EVERYONE being treated equally. At least this book also proves that persistence will pay off, despite in-fighting and setbacks. We just have to keep standing up for the most oppressed among us.
It's also infuriating to know that we essentially end up going through slightly different variations of this struggle with each "minority" group. I wish we as a species didn't have to repeat this over and over again. I wish we didn't think oppressing others makes us powerful when it clearly does not. I wish humans were better to one another.
I will never get over the neglect of the powerful during the AIDS crisis. We lost almost an entire generation of gay men because of fear and hatred, and I can't not be mad about that.
And now politicians are targeting our trans kin, because they just cannot stand the idea of EVERYONE being treated equally. At least this book also proves that persistence will pay off, despite in-fighting and setbacks. We just have to keep standing up for the most oppressed among us.
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
This could have been a five-star book, but Faderman makes (and her editors at Simon & Schuster let slip) a few really dumb errors (Malia, not Melia; Norfolk, W. Va instead of Va -- the hint was in the group's name "Tidewater"; constantly using "pro" instead of "por," which is one of the Spanish words meaning "for"). And what authors need to understand is if they let errors stand that can be easily corrected with a Google search, it kind of undermines the rest of the information -- if you get this little thing wrong, how can I trust the bigger things?
Well, she does a helluva job throughout and reminds us that LGBTQ gains are a constant battle because every step has been, and is being, met with a backlash. She shows how much has been accomplished so quickly but reminds us also of the flaws and where the opponents of LGBTQ rights are every step of the way.
Well, she does a helluva job throughout and reminds us that LGBTQ gains are a constant battle because every step has been, and is being, met with a backlash. She shows how much has been accomplished so quickly but reminds us also of the flaws and where the opponents of LGBTQ rights are every step of the way.
too much focus on assimilation ideas + activism for me. i got 53% through the book before i dnf'd it. i think it holds value but it was a bit too much for me
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Homophobia
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced