Customer Reviews

Hitched!: Wedding Stories from San Francisco City Hall

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Cheryl Dumesnil has done a magnificent job of collecting stories from couples that were legally married at City Hall in San Francisco during the "Winter of Love" in Feb-March 2004. The book covers stories of people ranging from those who were not married but participated (one has young as 18 years) to couples married for over half of a century. There are mixed-racial couples, couples coping with disabilities, young activists, a man who lost his partner to death but still helped all of those at City Hall to marry, couples nearly married who were heartbreakingly turned away on the steps of City Hall, couples together a few years, and couples together for over 50 years. Some couples jumped at the chance to marry -- others struggled with timing, and with the decision if official marriage would really cement an already strong relationship. The introduction by Rosie O'Donnell taught me that straight couples aren't forced to testify against each other in court, but gay couples are. I was continually reminded of all of the rights that are currently not afforded to committed, tax paying, loving couples of the same gender, and their children, in this country of "freedom." I laughed, I cried, I ached for the people in the book -- and for myself -- to be given chances for true equality. This book truly captured the feelings of those at City Hall (I know, I was there). The outpouring of love and volunteerism from straight and gay alike is something I, and others involved, will never forget. If you want to know more about the lives of some of the people involved in the "Winter of Love", this is a must-read.

What a gorgeous book. I just finished reading it and had to write this review. Imagine there were a special celebration of heterosexual marriage somewhere in the U.S. Imagine that straight couples who went there for the celebration would have to wait in line for hours in the rain and face heckling, hateful protesters, and even then might not get the special recognition of their marriage, their lives together in love, that they had been waiting for. Imagine how much in love any couples who would undergo that trial would have to be. Now you have a sense for the kind of love you can read about in Dumesnil's book. This is such an exciting time of change in America. I hope we look back, years from now, in an age of Marriage Equality and feel pride and gratitude for the couples in this book for paving the way in this important civil rights movement. Truly a powerful read--I was moved to tears by almost every story.

And it is also the best non-fiction book I have read in years! The stories are inspiring, humbling, and life-changing. The couples' struggles and desire to be married touched every part of my heart. I only hope that this book has as wide a readership as it deserves.

This book is a treasure, and most especially for an audience that may not be so familiar with the cultural, political and emotional importance of what happened at San Francisco City Hall last year. Editor Dumesnil was able to let the real voices of each stories' writer shine through, while skillfully making room for both the romance and the facts.

I say, mail this book to every politician, policy maker, religious leader and straight family you know to help them be inspired by what is really fueling the fight for marriage equality - love and the importance of family!

This wonderful collection of non-fiction essays is a must have for anyone, regardless of sexual preference. Each essay beautifully describes the heartwarming celebration of love between individuals in their voices. These brave couples became part of a civil rights movement like no other in US history in the early spring of 2004. Each story is well written and invites the reader into the most intimate moments of shared love, desire for commitment, struggles and triumph. Poignantly expressed, there is no doubt this is one of the best books I own. Impossible to read without wishing for more, one can only hope there will be more like it in the future.