Making Gay History: The Half Century Fight for Lesbian and Gay Equal Rights [Paperback]

Eric Marcus (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 28, 2002

From the Boy Scouts and the U.S. military to marriage and adoption, the gay civil rights movement has exploded on the national stage.Eric Marcus takes us back in time to the earliest days of that struggle in a newly revised and thoroughly updated edition of Making History, originally published in 1992.Using the heart-felt stories of more than 60 people, he carries us through the compelling five-decade battle that has changed the fabric of American society.

The rich tapestry that emerges from Making Gay History includes the inspiring voices of teenagers and grandparents, journalists and housewives, from the little known Dr. Evelyn Hooker and Morty Manford to former Vice President Al Gore, Ellen DeGeneres, and Abigail Van Buren. Together, these many stories bear witness to a time of astonishing change as gay and lesbian people have struggled against prejudice and fought for equal rights under the law.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[Making History] is a testament to the courage of individuals who have effected a positive change in our society." (Publishers Weekly )

"An ambitious project well realized…smooth-reading text that will surely become a cornerstone of gay American studies." (Booklist )

"…Rich and often moving…at times shocking, but often enlightening and inspiring: oral history at its most potent and rewarding." (Kirkus Reveiws )

About the Author

Eric Marcus is the author of several books and coauthor of Breaking the Surface, the number one New York Times bestselling autobiography of Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis.

Product Details

• Paperback: 496 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial (May 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060933917
• ISBN-13: 978-0060933913
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #597,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent work, essential reading for anyone looking for a rough guide to gay history., May 31, 2006

By 

Maxwell S. Dubler (Divine Providence, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Making Gay History: The Half Century Fight for Lesbian and Gay Equal Rights (Paperback)

This is an excellent collection of first-person narratives of gay life in America from 1945 to the present. The people interviewed cover everything from the Mattachine society to PFLAG to the GSA movement. Extremely useful for getting a broad look at the LGBT rights movement in America.

I personally prefer "Making History" by the same author because the interviews appear all at once. This edition has events organized by date, which can be a little hard to follow.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars good overview of history since 1960s, November 13, 2010

By 

JM - See all my reviews

This review is from: Making Gay History: The Half Century Fight for Lesbian and Gay Equal Rights (Paperback)

This is an enjoyable read. It covers the 1960s through 2000 and presents the information in an oral history format. Lots of good information, but definitely gay-centric (as you can tell from the title). Lesbians are discussed a fair bit, but bisexuals are trans people are nearly absent.