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A review by theseventhl
Queer City: Gay London from the Romans to the Present Day by Peter Ackroyd
3.0
I was thrilled to get Peter Ackroyd's QUEER CITY as a Goodreads Giveaway book. What is inside, for the most part, does not disappoint. There are so many anecdotes and stories of queer London, shocking and rude and heartbreaking and humorous, that it really puts a lot of color and character into our queer English ancestors. I appreciated the look at lesbian and gay men, and an acknowledgment that trans folks and genderqueer/genderfluid existed in the past, although we didn't have the words to describe these gender complexities back then.
My favorite stories were probably about queer folks in power and with real societal influence. It really means a lot to me, as a bisexual woman, to hear stories of powerful queer people who, in some ways were able to live their lives authentically but could never truly be themselves, although some succeeded through using the cultural depictions of queer people to their advantage. The stories of queer women who took on traditionally masculine roles and careers and became legends of their time were outstanding and, quite frankly, inspiring.
At times this book also broke my heart, mainly when QUEER CITY describes the desperate measures gay men would go through to avoid being arrested for just being found with another men, from leaving the country to jumping into the Thames. These men were just trying to live, but were forced to hide vital parts of themselves, arrange hook-ups in back alleys and lavatories, create elaborate codes in order to safely identify other gay men, and yet were still harassed, arrested, attacked, and killed for being men who loved other men. And, as Ackroyd points out, even though we have improved in gay rights, it is still not fully safe for queer people to be themselves out in the open. How far have we truly gone?
This book would have been so perfect if it didn't spend so much time in the 1700's - is this where the bulk of queer history for London really takes place? This seems like an off-balance focus on one period, and by the time you get to the 1900's, it feels shoehorned in. Speaking of the 1900's/2000's last chapter, it could have used some serious editorial restraint. At one point, Ackroyd breaks away from his thesis of queer London history and goes on a rant about the "sudden" flux of gender identities and gender fluidity and the "examine your privilege" sub-culture online, none of which gels with the rest of the book and feels thrown in to fulfill some lingering personal agenda with the Twitter/Tumblr blogosphere. It was obnoxious and put a bitter aftertaste on an otherwise intelligent history of a very queer, very dynamic city.
A reviewer copy of the book was provided for free by the Goodreads giveaway program and Beacon Press; no other compensation was offered for this review, nor was a review required to receive the book.
My favorite stories were probably about queer folks in power and with real societal influence. It really means a lot to me, as a bisexual woman, to hear stories of powerful queer people who, in some ways were able to live their lives authentically but could never truly be themselves, although some succeeded through using the cultural depictions of queer people to their advantage. The stories of queer women who took on traditionally masculine roles and careers and became legends of their time were outstanding and, quite frankly, inspiring.
At times this book also broke my heart, mainly when QUEER CITY describes the desperate measures gay men would go through to avoid being arrested for just being found with another men, from leaving the country to jumping into the Thames. These men were just trying to live, but were forced to hide vital parts of themselves, arrange hook-ups in back alleys and lavatories, create elaborate codes in order to safely identify other gay men, and yet were still harassed, arrested, attacked, and killed for being men who loved other men. And, as Ackroyd points out, even though we have improved in gay rights, it is still not fully safe for queer people to be themselves out in the open. How far have we truly gone?
This book would have been so perfect if it didn't spend so much time in the 1700's - is this where the bulk of queer history for London really takes place? This seems like an off-balance focus on one period, and by the time you get to the 1900's, it feels shoehorned in. Speaking of the 1900's/2000's last chapter, it could have used some serious editorial restraint. At one point, Ackroyd breaks away from his thesis of queer London history and goes on a rant about the "sudden" flux of gender identities and gender fluidity and the "examine your privilege" sub-culture online, none of which gels with the rest of the book and feels thrown in to fulfill some lingering personal agenda with the Twitter/Tumblr blogosphere. It was obnoxious and put a bitter aftertaste on an otherwise intelligent history of a very queer, very dynamic city.
A reviewer copy of the book was provided for free by the Goodreads giveaway program and Beacon Press; no other compensation was offered for this review, nor was a review required to receive the book.