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Paperback
Publisher: BenBella Books
Ian McKellen
ISBN13: 9781933771878
Condition: NEW
Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Queers in History is the first comprehensive biographical compendium of important historical and contemporary figures who were/are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. From Egyptian pharaohs, Catholic popes and Abraham Lincoln to Bishop Gene Robinson, Neil Patrick Harris and Angelina Jolie, Queers in History brings these figures, from their work to their sexuality, to life. The hundreds of people whose stories appear in this book are some of the most intriguing personalities of their times: actors and actresses, writers and musicians, businessmen and politicians, scientists and soldiers. But this irresistibly readable encyclopedia intended for gays and straights alike doesn't just report those details that get left out of the standard biographies; it reveals a fascinating picture of queer society and culture throughout recorded history, from the homosexual shudÅ tradition practiced by samurai in Japan to the modern struggles for equal rights in America. Sir Ian McKellen offers a foreword.
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| Who? What? WOW! |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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I could not put this book down, it's like a bag of potato chips; once you start, you can't stop. The importance of this book is in the title "Queers in History", what made them famous, infamous, was not just their sexuality but their sense of purpose. But did their sexuality play an important part in it? Most likely because what drives gay, straight, bi people are their goals in life, and their decisions in life are made emotionally, what they feel, what they need, what fuels their passions.
Keith Stern's book is not just a historical look at homosexuality but it brings to the forefront what is the common denominator of us all, the search for our own "place in the world". I highly recommend this book as a gift to all your straight, gay, bi, transexual friends and as a book to place on the coffee table to start lively conversations at any social gathering.
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| Pulls History out of the closet |
| Customer Rating: 5 out of 5 |
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Fascinating book. Well written. Stern pulls History out of the closet. This is an interesting and informative read whether you are gay or straight.
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| Everything You Need To Know |
| Customer Rating: 3 out of 5 |
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Stern, Keith. "Queers in History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgenders", Benbella Books, 2009.
Everything You Need to Know
Amos Lassen
Keith Stern has done an admirable job compiling his encyclopedia and his lists are comprehensive even if his suggestions for further reading are no where near comprehensive and even a bit far from elementary. I do not consider the Alyson Almanac to qualify as a good source. Nor do I think that if you want to know more about Tennessee Williams that Maria St. Just's "Five O'Clock Angel" is the place to look--Williams did write his memoirs and there are several other biographies about him around. Otherwise I have no real complaints. The book is exhaustive and somewhat picante but it is not by any means definitive or scholarly. For what it is, it isn't bad and more than 500 pages about gay people can never be a bad thing.
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