Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Dutton Adult (1991), 336 pages
Description
This is the tenth anniversary edition of Cures: A Gay Man's Odyssey, Martin Duberman's classic memoir of growing up gay in pre-Stonewall America. The tale of his desperate struggle to "cure" himself of his homosexuality through psychotherapy is utterly frank and deeply moving. But Cures is more than one man's story; it's the vivid, witty account of a generation, of changing times, shifting social attitudes, and the rising tide of protest against received wisdom. For this tenth anniversary edition, Duberman has written a substantial new afterword that updates both his personal history and the ongoing struggle for a more just society.
User reviews
LibraryThing member caedocyon
This is really good! I was expecting something like The Best Little Boy in the World, and they are superficially similar, but I bounced hard off TBLBITW because the author's selfishness and emotional immaturity isn't balanced by anything worthwhile. (eta: and bigotry of literally every kind; I had
In contrast, Duberman's memoir is alternated and interlaced with the broader historical context of gay activism, even where he didn't know or purposely avoided what was going on at the time. I mean: he went to the Stonewall Inn at least once a week in 1969! wasn't there on the night of June 28th! places himself in his apartment a few blocks away! shut away from it all behind his academic work and internalized homophobia and political disdains! Wow.
Duberman's past self is super self-critical and anxious in a way I found almost triggering; looking backwards he doesn't let himself off the hook but balances the hook with compassion. (WOW I am so glad I grew up long after psychoanalysis had fallen out of fashion, because being expected to tear yourself apart that way sounds like my absolute worst and most counterproductive instincts.) He talks a bit about his failure to see or understand lesbian issues and the criticism he sometimes received for it at the time, and he doesn't have much to say about racial or class oppression intersecting with homophobia. Still: do recommend, especially if you're interested in a less-typical view on gay history.
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forgotten what a flaming shitbag the best little boy is.)In contrast, Duberman's memoir is alternated and interlaced with the broader historical context of gay activism, even where he didn't know or purposely avoided what was going on at the time. I mean: he went to the Stonewall Inn at least once a week in 1969! wasn't there on the night of June 28th! places himself in his apartment a few blocks away! shut away from it all behind his academic work and internalized homophobia and political disdains! Wow.
Duberman's past self is super self-critical and anxious in a way I found almost triggering; looking backwards he doesn't let himself off the hook but balances the hook with compassion. (WOW I am so glad I grew up long after psychoanalysis had fallen out of fashion, because being expected to tear yourself apart that way sounds like my absolute worst and most counterproductive instincts.) He talks a bit about his failure to see or understand lesbian issues and the criticism he sometimes received for it at the time, and he doesn't have much to say about racial or class oppression intersecting with homophobia. Still: do recommend, especially if you're interested in a less-typical view on gay history.
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Subjects
Awards
Lambda Literary Award (Nominee — 1991)
Stonewall Book Award (Finalist — Non-Fiction — 1992)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1991
Physical description
336 p.; 20 inches
ISBN
0525249559 / 9780525249559
Other editions
Cures A Gay Mans Odyssey by Martin Duberman (Hardcover)
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