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pbraue13's review against another edition
4.0
Fire Island has so much history, so many famous figures from across cultures called this place a home or escape, it has seen so many historic moments, and it is still going through things (I.e. environmental issues, racism, etc.). All I wouldn’t have known about had I not picked up this expertly written little book. There’s so much heart here and tenderness for the subject and the players that walk in and out of the pages, from Oscar Wilde to Marilyn Monroe. It doesn’t make excuses for the more flawed individuals that visited the island, but rather provides context. It gets you so in love with certain people that when you reach their deaths pages later you’re heartbroken (especially during the AIDS era portions). This island is so poignant to queer culture and has a lasting legacy that will never go away. I’m so glad I found this book on a pocket of queer history that I never knew (and others should know) more about!
4/5 stars!
4/5 stars!
joekelly37's review against another edition
3.5
Mostly functions as a literary history of the various creatives that Fire Island's gay communities have harboured and inspired. Didn't always chime with that aspect but Parlett effectively uses his own experience to draw out insights on queer bodies, alcoholism, and political factions. Thought the last couple of chapters on Disco liberation and AIDS-era activism were the most powerful, but that's the period of history that I'm most engaged with anyway. Overall a good read, even if I slogged through some earlier chapters.
snapplespice's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve found what a previous review said to be helpful in summing up my thoughts: although enlightening, I would have preferred more insight into the various communities rather than extensive focus on (mostly) well-known individuals.
justinpizz16's review against another edition
3.0
An incredibly well-researched and thorough, yet often tedious, read.
Quotes I loved:
* I was frightened by the extent of the abandon I felt capable of in those moments. It is customary to talk about queer desire in relation to shame, as both a collective trauma and a private, individual legacy of repression. But I wasn't feeling ashamed of my desires. There was no moralizing voice telling me that what I was seeing or feeling was wrong. Rather, what I experienced in those moments was an anxiety about how I could fit into this scene altogether.
* the queer beach is a combination of the worst parts of a high school lunchroom with the worst parts of a nightclub, only everyone is also nearly naked.
* The body has remained the battleground upon which Fire Island's status as a political space, with its historic lack of racial diversity, and lack of diversity in genders and different body types, is contested.
Quotes I loved:
* I was frightened by the extent of the abandon I felt capable of in those moments. It is customary to talk about queer desire in relation to shame, as both a collective trauma and a private, individual legacy of repression. But I wasn't feeling ashamed of my desires. There was no moralizing voice telling me that what I was seeing or feeling was wrong. Rather, what I experienced in those moments was an anxiety about how I could fit into this scene altogether.
* the queer beach is a combination of the worst parts of a high school lunchroom with the worst parts of a nightclub, only everyone is also nearly naked.
* The body has remained the battleground upon which Fire Island's status as a political space, with its historic lack of racial diversity, and lack of diversity in genders and different body types, is contested.