Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
fast-paced
A collection of capsule biographies with some insightful conclusions. The conclusion ties it together quite well. I'm not convinced of the relevance of some of the very early books except to illustrate how mores and attitudes have changed over time, but they're interesting. Philip Johnson was probably the most surprising.
I don’t often read history so I enjoyed that each chapter gave a way in to a little glimpse of a different context. The writing was good and I particularly found the overarching argument about queer liberation engaging. However, there was definitely some people I found myself pushing through. The inclusion of one non-white person and one woman felt a bit like tokenism, yet also undermined the parameters set out in the introduction of discussing white men. I wish there was greater diversity or even a more forceful use on why white men are the discussion of the book. Also the majority of the people were from the 20th century, and I personally preferred moving through this broad timeline of more unfamiliar settings. Nevertheless, the prominence of anti-colonial critique was very appreciated.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
dnf’d at 5%
i’m sorry this reads like a textbook i actually am so bored
i’m sorry this reads like a textbook i actually am so bored
This book had so much potential and some of the chapters were ok, but overall a bit of a burning read to be honest. Too much like a degree thesis rather than an interesting insight into these characters from history.
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
slow-paced
When I first reviewed this I gave it a 5* as that's what I'd give the podcast. I assumed that my not enjoying the book was something to do with me since I loved the podcast, I do sometimes struggle to connect with non-fiction books.
I've now listened to the audio-book too and I've reduced my rating. I feel like the book wasn't written for a general audience, it was way too heavy on the accademic language for that. And look, I can read accademic things, but I didn't find this book particularly accessible or compelling. The strongest chapters are the ones that read like podcast episodes and focus in on the life of one particualr person, the weakest are the ones, in my opinion, like the nazi one where instead of focusing and letting us discover the universal through the personal try to take in the broad sweep of history and make large conclusions. The books fails to capture a lot of the charm of the podcast which is so odd as the podcast is scripted so I don't know what got lost in translaton when they decided to turn it into a book.
I would also note that the audiobook is badly edited, there are at least 4 points where repeat or alternative reads were left in. Not very professional.
I've now listened to the audio-book too and I've reduced my rating. I feel like the book wasn't written for a general audience, it was way too heavy on the accademic language for that. And look, I can read accademic things, but I didn't find this book particularly accessible or compelling. The strongest chapters are the ones that read like podcast episodes and focus in on the life of one particualr person, the weakest are the ones, in my opinion, like the nazi one where instead of focusing and letting us discover the universal through the personal try to take in the broad sweep of history and make large conclusions. The books fails to capture a lot of the charm of the podcast which is so odd as the podcast is scripted so I don't know what got lost in translaton when they decided to turn it into a book.
I would also note that the audiobook is badly edited, there are at least 4 points where repeat or alternative reads were left in. Not very professional.
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
Thought-provoking, entertaining and eye-opening. Not always uplifting, but enjoyable and informative, and I appreciated learning more about gay culture throughout history. Strikes a good balance between academic (references theorists like Foucault, can have complex terminology, citations) and entertainment (humor and sarcasm, information delivered with flavorful language). There is some clear bias (in the journalistic sense) in how things are described, and some people may prefer more neutrality in their nonfiction. Sometimes I feel they phrase things to make them sound more boldly scandalous than they may have really been, but it does make for compelling reading. Quotes some sexually explicit historical material, which some will find off-putting. Worthwhile read.
Honestly I found it a bit boring. I wasn't expecting all the political stuff and all the talk about secondary characters. I wamted to read about these bad gays and I just read about they're friends/lovers and what they did and what was their political and economic views and power
Also needs more women.
Also needs more women.