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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
This was such an interesting read. It’s definitely not like anything I have ever read so it made it a bit difficult to like but I really liked it. It was strange reading about such horrible people. Like there are have some assholes I didn’t know about. But what I really liked about this book is how it brings you through the different obstacles, both legally and socially, for gay people through history. It really shows how homophobia has always been based in stupidity and no shred of logic.
Now I have a few problems with this book. For one, there is hardly any diversity for this to be called a “homosexual history.” Out of the 14 people, only two are not white men. Another thing is that there is hardly any information that you wouldn’t know about without doing simple research on gay history.
This book was written in a way that was very entertaining and witty. Regardless of my problems, I did really enjoy this book and think it’s a great read for anyone.
Now I have a few problems with this book. For one, there is hardly any diversity for this to be called a “homosexual history.” Out of the 14 people, only two are not white men. Another thing is that there is hardly any information that you wouldn’t know about without doing simple research on gay history.
This book was written in a way that was very entertaining and witty. Regardless of my problems, I did really enjoy this book and think it’s a great read for anyone.
liked this a lot, some v interesting stuff, some of the chapters could have been a bit more focused, think there should have been either more or fewer chapters about women (there was one). i really liked the chapter on yukio mishima but again there should have been more chapters on non-european/US people, or more of a commitment to the history of gay complicity in fascism and colonialism...otherwise for a book based off a podcast it came together pretty well!
Bad Gays: A Homosexual History is a fascinating and insightful book that subverts the traditional notion of gay icons and queer heroes. Written by Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller, the book delves into the lives of queer people whose sexualities and dastardly deeds have been overlooked in popular histories. From the Emperor Hadrian to anthropologist Margaret Mead and notorious gangster Ronnie Kray, the authors excavate the buried history of queer lives.
The book challenges mainstream assumptions of sexual identity and shows that homosexuality itself was an idea that emerged in the nineteenth century and that its interpretation has been central to major historical moments of conflict. The authors argue that too many popular histories seek to establish heroes, pioneers, and martyrs, but the past is also filled with queer people whose un-exemplary lives reveal more than we might expect.
I listened to the audiobook version of Bad Gays, and it was very well-told and interesting. The book provides a great view on history, and I learned a lot. I particularly appreciated the descriptions of the characters, their motivations, and flaws. However, some sections were a bit hard to follow, and I found myself losing track of all the different characters at times. This may have been better in a physical book rather than an audiobook.
Overall, I would highly recommend Bad Gays: A Homosexual History to anyone interested in LGBTQ+ history, sexuality, and identity. The book is a must-read for those who want to expand and challenge their understanding of the queer past and its relevance to our present.
The book challenges mainstream assumptions of sexual identity and shows that homosexuality itself was an idea that emerged in the nineteenth century and that its interpretation has been central to major historical moments of conflict. The authors argue that too many popular histories seek to establish heroes, pioneers, and martyrs, but the past is also filled with queer people whose un-exemplary lives reveal more than we might expect.
I listened to the audiobook version of Bad Gays, and it was very well-told and interesting. The book provides a great view on history, and I learned a lot. I particularly appreciated the descriptions of the characters, their motivations, and flaws. However, some sections were a bit hard to follow, and I found myself losing track of all the different characters at times. This may have been better in a physical book rather than an audiobook.
Overall, I would highly recommend Bad Gays: A Homosexual History to anyone interested in LGBTQ+ history, sexuality, and identity. The book is a must-read for those who want to expand and challenge their understanding of the queer past and its relevance to our present.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I feel like this book sets out with a really interesting thesis and then proceeds to not be able to address it adequately at all. It seems to me to be a problem of trying to tackle too many angles, which leads to not adequately discussing any of them well. On one hand, this book seeks to go through history from a queer perspective, which is interesting but falls apart when trying to deep dive into the "bad gays" it is profiling. The chosen profiles don't really fit into the chosen narrative arc of homosexuality throughout history, so it feels muddled as a focus. This is not helped by the run-on sentences and lack of overarching reflections for the thesis statement.
The book also tries to look at queers who are evil or bad throughout history, but it doesn't provide enough context on any of them to really substantiate these claims of evilness. For many, the individuals just seem to be participants in a colonial/imperial/racist system rather than people actively enacting harm. For individuals with whom I was familiar (such as J. Edgar Hoover), I felt that the details were far too light on the very real and active harm perpetuated by the individual. If you go into this story without the background knowledge on the people profiled, I don't feel the authors really provide it or justify it enough for you to think "ah yes, this is a person who could be seen as truly evil". They also have a very white and male selection of individuals that they profile, which they don't address at any time.
They might have had better results if they chose fewer individuals and really dived into their respective backgrounds, while making stronger points and analysis related to the thesis they set out to discuss. With the great number of people profiled, the biographies feel very disjointed and not cohesive as a book.
This is still 4-star for me, since I learned a lot of interesting things about homosexuality throughout history and the figures highlighted in the book. If you're really interested in history, I think there are some great historical nuggets buried in here that still make it an interesting read!
The book also tries to look at queers who are evil or bad throughout history, but it doesn't provide enough context on any of them to really substantiate these claims of evilness. For many, the individuals just seem to be participants in a colonial/imperial/racist system rather than people actively enacting harm. For individuals with whom I was familiar (such as J. Edgar Hoover), I felt that the details were far too light on the very real and active harm perpetuated by the individual. If you go into this story without the background knowledge on the people profiled, I don't feel the authors really provide it or justify it enough for you to think "ah yes, this is a person who could be seen as truly evil". They also have a very white and male selection of individuals that they profile, which they don't address at any time.
They might have had better results if they chose fewer individuals and really dived into their respective backgrounds, while making stronger points and analysis related to the thesis they set out to discuss. With the great number of people profiled, the biographies feel very disjointed and not cohesive as a book.
This is still 4-star for me, since I learned a lot of interesting things about homosexuality throughout history and the figures highlighted in the book. If you're really interested in history, I think there are some great historical nuggets buried in here that still make it an interesting read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Homophobia, Racism, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Colonisation
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Sexual content
Minor: Genocide, Hate crime
funny
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
informative
medium-paced
1.5 stars rounded up. Where to begin? First, the good: some interesting profiles of gays who are notable that I had never heard of. That's about all the good I can say.
For a book about "bad gays" (and there are no shortage of them around!) there sure were a lot of gays who are either ambiguously bad and only bad read in very modern light. The author basically suggests every queer in history who wasn't radically anti-capitalist, anti-imperial, and fully intersectional was "bad." I'm not sure I agree.
A final point: there are ways to write books that are simultaneously academic AND readily accessible. Throwing in a bunch of fancy words and then adding "you go girl!" isn't one I support.
For a book about "bad gays" (and there are no shortage of them around!) there sure were a lot of gays who are either ambiguously bad and only bad read in very modern light. The author basically suggests every queer in history who wasn't radically anti-capitalist, anti-imperial, and fully intersectional was "bad." I'm not sure I agree.
A final point: there are ways to write books that are simultaneously academic AND readily accessible. Throwing in a bunch of fancy words and then adding "you go girl!" isn't one I support.
This was interesting
3 stars
I don't read non-fiction, it's just not my jam but this started out so good and the guy who was the narrating the audiobook was amazing and it was a vibe but then it slowly became more about men and very white. I understand what this book was trying to do but i don't think it delivered the way it wanted too.
3 stars
I don't read non-fiction, it's just not my jam but this started out so good and the guy who was the narrating the audiobook was amazing and it was a vibe but then it slowly became more about men and very white. I understand what this book was trying to do but i don't think it delivered the way it wanted too.
informative
reflective
slow-paced
funny
informative