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rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
4.0
This book is both too broad and too specific. I don't know what I was expecting when I picked it up, but overall I enjoyed reading about this slice of gay history.
ladybird4prez's review against another edition
informative
reflective
Well-researched, informative, and engaging, When Brooklyn Was Queer provides a look into decades of long-forgotten and erased history of often overlooked, vibrant queer communities. It was fascinating to learn about the oscillating LGBTQ+ acceptance as impacted by wars, economic opportunities, gentrification, suburbanization, moral policing, eugenics, and our understanding of gender, sex, and sexual orientation as separate but related concepts. Through it all, queer love or “the resourcefulness of queer desire,” as Hugh Ryan puts it, persisted, despite large barriers, heavy setbacks, and attacks on the community.
Ryan does a great job of exploring the rich queer history of Brooklyn. Still, it’s frustrating to think about just how much history was lost because queer people’s experiences weren’t properly recorded, preserved, or valued. I love what he said in the epilogue though, that he looks forward “to having a future where we already have a past.”
algaemarina's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
pbraue13's review against another edition
4.0
A fascinating look at a period and history of New York/the LGBT community that doesn't get seen. Flowing between famous historical figures to names that I enjoyed looking up and researching beyond this book, the strong writing takes you into these people's lives, but also steeps you in the atmosphere of these specific times and places. Also it was really fun!
4.5/5 stars
4.5/5 stars
megtall's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
This book was fascinating!
rnfortier's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
This was so informative and I’m so glad I read it.
I very much appreciated that Ryan did not shy away from the racist parts of that history.
Overall, I think books like this are so incredibly important to remind all of us that queer people have always existed and not a modern realization. Our history is extensive, and Ryan presents that history in an easily accessible manner.
I very much appreciated that Ryan did not shy away from the racist parts of that history.
Overall, I think books like this are so incredibly important to remind all of us that queer people have always existed and not a modern realization. Our history is extensive, and Ryan presents that history in an easily accessible manner.
kleonard's review against another edition
5.0
This is an outstanding book about queer Brooklyn, organized by time and including insightful but never pedantic commentary on the area's development; its famous inhabitants, particularly those who helped make parts of the borough a safe space for queers; the role of the military and industry in Brooklyn's queer lives, and the contributions queer Brooklynites have made to American and world arts and civil rights. Author Hugh Ryan writes in a clear, accessible, and personal style that is a pleasure to read. I learned a great deal from this book not just on the topic of queer Brooklyn, but also about the fantastic resources Ryan used, the ways in which a book dealing with histories of overlapping place, people, and society can be crafted, I highly recommend this book for school, college, and university libraries in addition to individual readers.