A review by isabelladematteo
The Women's House of Detention: A Queer History of a Forgotten Prison by Hugh Ryan

5.0

One of my favorite reads of all time. Hugh Ryan is such an inspiration, he has mastered the art of laying out important(mostly untold) histories in a way that is engaging, personal, and heartfelt. I’ve been putting off writing a review because I have endless things to say about this book, and it feels difficult to quantify it’s impact on me. Simply put, this book is chock-full of information I believe should be common knowledge. As a queer AFAB person myself, reading this felt empowering as I learned more about systemic misogyny/homophobia/transphobia/etcetcetc. Since reading I have been able to name a root cause to some micro-aggressions I (and other around me) face and it has helped me to gain control in those situations. I’m so grateful. Please please do yourself a favor and read this book. I know I’ll be rereading it at multiple different stages in my life and will inevitably come out with new things each time. Thank you, Hugh! Thank you thank you thank you!