Gay America - Reviews

GAY AMERICA - Reviews
	The Publishing Triangle has named GAY AMERICA as one of three finalists for the Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction, "recognizing books that have a significant influence upon the lives of gay men". The award will be presented at a ceremony on May 7, 2009 in New York. GAY AMERICA was listed on CCBC Choices 2009, the annual best-of-the-year list of the august Cooperative Children's Book Center, a library of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. GAY AMERICA was listed on the New York Public Library's Stuff for the Teen Age 2009, "the multi-format, multimedia, targeted, and teen-tested update" to their Books of the Teen Age annual list. GAY AMERICA was named to the 2009 Rainbow List, a joint undertaking of the American Library Association’s Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Round Table and Social Responsibilities Round Table. "Featuring well-written and/or well-illustrated titles with authentic and significant gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgendered/queer/questioning content for youth from birth through age 18, this year’s bibliography presents 34 outstanding titles, published in the last eighteen months and representing a broad range of GLBTQ experience." STARRED REVIEW! Alsenas' landmark history of American gay life focuses largely on public attitudes toward homosexuality and the seemingly endless struggle for gay rights. After a brief survey covering pre-twentieth-century America, Alsenas narrows his focus to offer a closer examination of more recent events. Thus, Chapter Two deals with the period 1910-1939; Chapter Three with 1940-1959; and so on until the final chapter brings the reader to the present--and beyond. In an effort to humanize his material, the author begins each new chapter with an individual story told from a "personalized" (i.e., lightly fictionalized) point of view. While this succeeds in dramatizing factual material, the effort may be unnecessary, since the epic story the author tells of the gradual emergence of gays and lesbians from the shadows is itself a compellingly human drama. Alsenas' often sprightly, always engaging style makes his history even more reader-friendly, as do the many archival photographs that enliven each page. This first-ever book to cover this material for young adults is essential reading for all young people--gay, lesbian, and straight. Check out page 16 of the December 16th issue of The Advocate for a news story on GAY AMERICA's launch party! Click here for the Publishers Weekly article about how GAY AMERICA came together From the murder of Freda Ward in 1893 by her teenage girlfriend to same-sex marriage legalization in Massachusetts, this offering chronicles the ups, downs, victories and woes of gays and lesbians in the United States without sounding too much like a textbook. The stories unfold in brief, just-the-facts snapshots that are easy to follow, yet Alsenas's language is sophisticated enough to be authoritative. All of the usual topics are covered, including Stonewall, Eleanor Roosevelt, Dr. Alfred Kinsey, James Baldwin and AIDS. Less well-known events and ideas, such as the formation of the Mattachine Society, a group formed by three gay Communist Party supporters in the late 1940s, also come to light. Black-and-white or full-color photos that accompany the text add to the overall appeal and readability of the book. What results is a well-written, topical and eye-catching work that simultaneously fulfills the need for assignments and literary nonfiction pleasure-reading forays. Middle- and high-school students should walk away feeling informed; many will be inspired to explore the LGBT universe even further. UPDATE: GAY AMERICA was selected for Kirkus Reviews' Best Young Adult Books of 2008! Here's what they say about the book: Gr 7-10–This eminently readable work highlights the history of gays and lesbians in the U.S. Beginning with the Victorian period and following with five more chapters covering the 20th and 21st centuries through 2006, Alsenas prefaces each historically accurate section with a true story told from a personalized (or fictionalized) point of view, such as the notorious 1892 Memphis murder of Freda Ward by her lover, Alice Mitchell. This technique, combined with abundant archival photos and the author’s accessible writing style, makes the pages fly by almost as if reading a long, compelling story. Of course, this book only touches on salient points of LGBT history, but for young teens who are interested in learning about queer scholarship, it is an excellent place to begin. A good index, excellent notes, and a selected bibliography of resources, into which the author encourages readers to “dig deeper,” only increase the usefulness of Gay America. (Betty S. Evans, Southwest Missouri State University, Springfield) Click here for the Washington Blade review In his foreword, Alsenas writes that his history of gay America in the twentieth century and beyond is meant to open the burgeoning field of gay historical inquiry to teens who “arguably need access to it the most.” It is not meant to be a comprehensive history of gay scholarship but rather an entertaining narrative that can be used as a jumping-off point for further research. In both of those aims, this volume succeeds brilliantly. Each chapter begins with a short story, “from a personalized point of view,” based on historical events and people but told in the author’s words. The first from 1892 tells of Alice Mitchell who, making good on a pact with her lover Freda Ward, killed Ward when their families would not let them be together. The last takes place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2004 as gay couples celebrate their freedom to marry. The sections that follow these stories cover roughly twenty-year periods each. The people, movements, and large events of these eras are examined in short, one- to four-paragraph essays. Gay organizations and their origins and aims—Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilitis through Stonewall to Act Up, PFLAG, and the Human Rights Campaign among others—are presented, mentioning people from Ma Rainey to Harvey Milk and Ellen DeGeneres. There is no discussion on the origins of same-sex attractions, whether scientific or sociological. The volume is attractive, and the endnotes are well documented. There is frank discussion of sexual practices but never more than is necessary to explain the events. (Timothy Capehart) Click here to order a copy!