Too Queer: Essays from a Radical Life [Paperback]

Victoria A. Brownworth (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This collection of essays, most of which have previously appeared in major lesbian and mainstream periodicals, begins with an account of Victoria Brownworth's development as a radical child. A white girl standing up for civil rights, an out lesbian speaking her mind in a Catholic high school, Brownworth went on to wrestle with the controversies of queer culture: passing as straight, economic class consciousness, lipstick lesbians, lesbian chic, same-sex marriage, and why queers are pushing for service in the military. An early, extremely principled proponent of selective outing, Brownworth's voice remains provocative and intelligent. Too Queer is a Lambda Literary Award finalist for Lesbian Studies and Small Press.

From Publishers Weekly

Brownworth, a lesbian journalist, has put together a collection of essays rooted in her belief "in the power and importance of radicalism?not simply as a theoretical construct, but as a working principle to live by." In a mixture of personal experiences and political analysis, Brownworth exposes a vast array of American social evils?from homelessness to the Oklahoma bombings?and offers a radical queer reading of each. The results are varied. Her strongest arguments effectively rebut writers like Bruce Bawer (A Place at the Table) and Andrew Sullivan (Virtually Normal) whose integrationist politics, Brownworth argues, are ultimately self-loathing and potentially disastrous to the queer community. She also examines the complexities of abortion, carefully outlining why she feels both pro-choice and pro-life. Issues of race, class and gender are constantly brought to the forefront in arenas they are often left out of. Unfortunately, these are the highlights of an otherwise unsatisfying collection. Her insistence that American lesbians and gays are "at war" in a homophobic society takes on a nihilistic edge which would send almost anyone running back into the closet. The preface, in particular (written, we are told repeatedly, on the eve of Independence Day), is at once too sentimental and too apocalyptic in its effort to connect the Civil War; the violence which marked 1995 (the assassination of Yitzak Rabin, the O.J. Simpson trial, war in Bosnia, etc.); and homophobia.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Firebrand Books (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563410745
• ISBN-13: 978-1563410741
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,354,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Victoria A. Brownworth is a Pulitizer Prize-nominated journalist and author of "Day of the Dead," "Too Queer," "Film Fatales" and "Rock Hudson: A Biography" and editor of the award-winning "Coming Out of Cancer," "Night Bites" and "Lost in America." Her essays, stories and columns have appeared in the New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Philadelphia Inquirer, Los Angeles Times, Village Voice, the Advocate and OUT magazine, as well as over 50 anthologies. She's reviewed for Publisher's Weekly, Booklist and a plethora of other newspapers, magazines and journals. She mentors young inner-city writers, has written several award-winning independent short films, including "Mondays" and "but would you take her back?" and teaches writing and film at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Read her political blog at www.victoriabrownworth.com, read her columns at www.curvemag.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good essays, January 16, 2007

By 

Eleanor Skinner (Albany, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Too Queer: Essays from a Radical Life (Paperback)

27 essays on a whole range of different subjects by a queer activist. She writes about everything from personal things such as gardens, cats, and breast cancer (well okay, this can be political too), to essays about the death of gay black men from AIDS and essays on female genital mutilation. She writes about her own life experiences - and she's undergone a lot - and about causes and controversial issues such as outing and gay marriage. I really want to give this 4 1/2 stars because it's very good, it's just not my utter favourite enough to give 5 stars to. It's a very good read and will get you thinking, whether you agree with the author's beliefs or not. I wish she wrote for my local newspaper.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great read, well worth it, October 7, 1999

By 

K. Damato (Virginia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Too Queer: Essays from a Radical Life (Paperback)

An amazing book, absolutely worth reading

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars essential reading for the radical queer, March 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Too Queer: Essays from a Radical Life (Paperback)

Tired of those conservative assimilationist queers? Read this book, dealing with large political subjects as well as the details of trying to construct a life. Nominated for TWO lammy awards.....