Long Road to Freedom: The Advocate History of the Gay and Lesbian Movement [Illustrated] [Paperback]

Mark Thompson (Author), Randy Shilts (Author)

Book Description

Series: Stonewall Inn Editions | Publication Date: May 1995

News stories, essays, cartoons, interviews, and more than one thousand photographs, all culled from the pages of the leading homosexual publication, chronicle the gay rights movement over the past twenty-five years. Reprint. PW.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Advocate , which was to become the country's most prominent gay and lesbian news-magazine, was a two-year-old Los Angeles newsletter when the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village initiated the gay rights movement in 1969. This engrossing and profusely illustrated book documents the increasingly prominent and embattled place of gays and lesbians in American culture. Each year is introduced by a prominent gay or lesbian figure and headed with an annotated timeline, excerpts of articles from the Advocate , photographs and profiles of such prominent figures as author Edmund White; San Francisco politician Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1977; AIDS activist and playwright Larry Kramer; and performers like k. d. lang, Sylvester and Madonna. From Stonewall's galvanizing effect on the movement to assaults on the gay community by the religious right and AIDS; from celebrations of disco, Fire Island and the quiet bravery of openly gay citizens everywhere, this chronicle is a stirring scrapbook of a movement whose greatest victories may yet be to come. $50,000 ad/ promo.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Neither a chronological history nor a comprehensive encyclopedia, this compendium of features, interviews, and newsbites from the first 25 years (1967-92) of the Advocate magazine is suitable for both casual browsing and serious research. The book is divided into yearly chapters, each introduced by an essay and a two-page summary of the year's news. Comprising the bulk of each chapter, seven to ten archival articles cover both events and personalities, with scattered marginalia (e.g., outrageous quotes, political cartoons, letters to the editor) illuminating these longer stories. Some of the best writing is found in the often very personal introductory essays, authored by prominent lesbians and gay men from the worlds of academia (Martin Duberman), literature (John Preston), politics (Urvashi Vaid) and journalism (Richard Rouilard). However, this sum is greater than its parts; the reader closes the book with interlaced memories of dozens of sometimes contradictory, always provacative individuals sharing a common goal. This unique resource is highly recommended for public libraries and is also appropriate for academic collections supporting gay studies and journalism programs. --Eric Bryant, "Library Journal"
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 420 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (May 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312131143
• ISBN-13: 978-0312131142
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,561,272 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good resource, December 10, 2002

By 

Robin Orlowski "political activist" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Long Road to Freedom: The Advocate History of the Gay and Lesbian Movement (Stonewall Inn Editions) (Hardcover)

I happened upon this title in my college town's used book-store and even though I had read (and owned) previous historical accounts of the GLBT movmenet, I was drawn to the fluid layout of the book.

Befiting the sponsoring magazine's name, this book does not simply chronicle the past, but inspires readers to become contributors for a better future. Also helpful is the concious decision to focus on events in the entire country, as opposed to only the East and West Coasts.

The only problem I had with the book was the selective ommission of interviews towards the present day. In 1993, Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain vocally expressed his support for GLBT freedom/opposition to Oregon's homophobic Ballot Measure 9 (among other progressive views) in a cover-story/interview, but nothing was mentioned about his influence on our generation in a time when the right was flush with zeal attempting these strategies, themselves trying to influence the youth vote.