LCC
HQ76.U5
Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Beacon Press (2012), Edition: 58936th, 312 pages
Description
"A Queer History of the United States is groundbreaking and accessible. It looks at how American culture has shaped the LGBT, or queer, experience, while simultaneously arguing that LGBT people not only shaped but were pivotal in creating our country. Using numerous primary documents and literature, as well as social histories, Bronski's book takes the reader through the centuries--from Columbus' arrival and the brutal treatment the Native peoples received, through the American Revolution's radical challenging of sex and gender roles--to the violent, and liberating, 19th century--and the transformative social justice movements of the 20th. Bronski's book is filled with startling examples of often ignored or unknown aspects of American history: the ineffectiveness of sodomy laws in the colonies, the prevalence of cross-dressing women soldiers in the Civil War, the effect of new technologies on LGBT life in the 19th century, and how rock music and popular culture were, in large part, responsible for the great backlash against gay rights in the late 1970s. More than anything, A Queer History of the United States is not so much about queer history as it is about all American history--and why it should matter to both LGBT people and heterosexuals alike"--Provided by publisher.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member lydia1879
I read all but one of two of the first chapters of this book, for research for a gay historical fiction novel and ... some of it was really good, some of it was mediocre, but I found it had a lot of contradictions.
This is a very general history of gay culture in the United States, and with its
I took lots of notes and found many enjoyable details (the chapter on the production and marketing of gender was an unexpected joy) I found lots of bisexual / asexual and trans erasure present not only in the historical text but in the text itself.
I liked that it often challenged and called out racist ideals of the time, as well as well-known historical figures who were racist, but I was just disappointed at times in the overall tone of this book, upon reflection.
This feels very white-centered and very along the gay/lesbian binary, as well as the male/female binary.
I'm pleased with the notes I made, but I just found this to be well-intentioned and equally harmful. At one point, Bronski conflates the queer struggle with the struggle for equality amongst African Americans in the United States. He makes one or two interesting points I suppose, but to conflate and compare struggles is harmful and has already been done a thousand times over. He then goes on to elaborate that we shouldn't compare struggles, but like lots of white male cis writers, lacks the subtlety to break down the intersectionality of blackness and queerness in any meaningful way.
He then makes a smart move and quotes Audre Lorde, and then leaves the quotation unattended. The more I think about this, the more it sours in my mouth, which is sad because it was an enjoyable read, but I often wanted Bronski to check his privilege and drop his pejorative views.
Oh well. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
This is a very general history of gay culture in the United States, and with its
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broad brushstrokes, sometimes it wins, sometimes it loses. I took lots of notes and found many enjoyable details (the chapter on the production and marketing of gender was an unexpected joy) I found lots of bisexual / asexual and trans erasure present not only in the historical text but in the text itself.
I liked that it often challenged and called out racist ideals of the time, as well as well-known historical figures who were racist, but I was just disappointed at times in the overall tone of this book, upon reflection.
This feels very white-centered and very along the gay/lesbian binary, as well as the male/female binary.
I'm pleased with the notes I made, but I just found this to be well-intentioned and equally harmful. At one point, Bronski conflates the queer struggle with the struggle for equality amongst African Americans in the United States. He makes one or two interesting points I suppose, but to conflate and compare struggles is harmful and has already been done a thousand times over. He then goes on to elaborate that we shouldn't compare struggles, but like lots of white male cis writers, lacks the subtlety to break down the intersectionality of blackness and queerness in any meaningful way.
He then makes a smart move and quotes Audre Lorde, and then leaves the quotation unattended. The more I think about this, the more it sours in my mouth, which is sad because it was an enjoyable read, but I often wanted Bronski to check his privilege and drop his pejorative views.
Oh well. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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LibraryThing member Benona
In many ways, this book was illuminating on just how much a part of US history LGBTQIA individuals are. But, if I'm being truthful, it's much more interested in white, cis-gendered, gay and lesbian individuals, which might be because of information actually available for individuals in US history,
It was much the same with Trans and gender non-conforming individuals. There were a few individuals whose gender identities were explored, but generally strictly along a male/female binary and with some sort of disorienting pronoun usage (which may, again, be the author erring on the side of caution).
It felt very much like listening to a well-educated GLBT activism veteran about the history of the movement and their precursors. Well worth paying attention to, but a bit dated, with some blind-spots, and a weak (but still present!) grasp on intersectionality.
But, in consideration of how much of this falls into the general blind-spot of most US history, it's still worth the read.
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but still, it was disappointing. I'm not sure if it was out of an abundance of caution, or an actual oversight, but it felt very much like bisexual was a floor made of lava that this book attempted to avoid. There would be individuals described as 'homosexuals who also had opposite sex liaisons' (paraphrasing). I'm pretty sure bisexual was used exclusively after 'Gay, Lesbian,..'. It was much the same with Trans and gender non-conforming individuals. There were a few individuals whose gender identities were explored, but generally strictly along a male/female binary and with some sort of disorienting pronoun usage (which may, again, be the author erring on the side of caution).
It felt very much like listening to a well-educated GLBT activism veteran about the history of the movement and their precursors. Well worth paying attention to, but a bit dated, with some blind-spots, and a weak (but still present!) grasp on intersectionality.
But, in consideration of how much of this falls into the general blind-spot of most US history, it's still worth the read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member librarianbryan
Spanning European colonization to 1990 and clocking in at only 240 pages, this really just a gloss. It does it what it is supposed to but considering it took months and months to finish it wasn’t exactly setting off flash bulbs in my mind. Stonewall gets about five sentences, but there is whole
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chapter on how World War II set the pieces in place for the social upheavals of the 1960s. Show Less
LibraryThing member raschneid
This was a solid, well-researched book, and basically readable even though it skewed academic in its language. I didn't get a lot out of it, but it's a good introductory text.
One thing to note is that the book is very much a history not of the United States in totality, but of the contemporary
As an example of what I was hoping to see: I remember my American women's history professor including lessons on Native American and West African women. Even though these histories were subsumed by European imperialism, we still studied them. In Bronski's defense, I'd hazard a guess that we don't have enough academics writing about the queer history of marginalized people, sad face.
One thing to note is that the book is very much a history not of the United States in totality, but of the contemporary
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LGBTQ community. It's a "how did we get here" kind of read. This is all well and good, but I thought there could have been better coverage of racial minorities (especially non-Black people of color), indigenous communities, the Latin American world, and rural/working-class/non-visible folks whose experiences didn't survive to become the "gay community" as we now imagine it.As an example of what I was hoping to see: I remember my American women's history professor including lessons on Native American and West African women. Even though these histories were subsumed by European imperialism, we still studied them. In Bronski's defense, I'd hazard a guess that we don't have enough academics writing about the queer history of marginalized people, sad face.
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Awards
Lambda Literary Award (Finalist — 2012)
Publishing Triangle Awards (Finalist — Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction — 2012)
Stonewall Book Award (Winner — 2012)
ALA Over the Rainbow Book List (Selection — Non-Fiction — 2012)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2011-05-10
Physical description
9 inches
ISBN
0807044652 / 9780807044650
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