This anthology of essays, which focuses on the Stonewall riot, which many see as the start of the modern gay rights movement, is both educational and inspirational. ( )

Ashowcase of the work of activists and participants in the Stonewall uprising, published to coincide with the 50th anniversary.

With his discerning selections, editor Baumann (editor: Love and Resistance: Out of the Closet into the Stonewall Era, 2019, etc.)—assistant director for collection development for the New York Public Library and coordinator of the library’s LGBT Initiative—provides a street-level view of the Stonewall uprising, which helped launch the LGBTQ rights movement in the United States. Through his skillful curation, he offers a corrective for what is too often a sanitized, homogenous, and whitewashed portrayal of academics and professionals about the event sometimes termed “the hairpin drop heard around the world.” By gathering vibrant and varied experiences of diverse contributors, the collection reflects the economic, gender, racial, and ethnic complexity of the LGBTQ community at a time when behaviors such as same-sex dancing were criminalized. Featuring essays, interviews, personal accounts, and news articles, Baumann’s archival project accurately and meticulously captures an era of social unrest; the conversation about institutional discrimination and inequality presented here remains as revolutionary today as it did 50 years ago. The anthology invites us to look closely at the unresolved social dynamics of a population defined by its diversity, confronting sexism, racism, classism, and internalized homophobia alongside a broad view of institutional discrimination, heteronormativity, and sexual repression. Voices of significant leaders sit beside stories from participants behind protest lines, police raids, and street harassment, and the mounting frustration with an oppressive status quo becomes palpable on every page. The first-person narratives collected here effectively spotlight the social inequalities surrounding the LGBTQ community, many of which persist today.

A bold rallying cry that should help in the continuing fight for LGBTQ rights. Read alongside Baumann’s Love and Resistance and Marc Stein’s The Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History for a full education on the events before, during, and after Stonewall.

-Kirkus Review

I really enjoyed this anthology of mainly homosexual, transvestite, and transgender writers on accounts of how it was like in the pre-1980s United States. Firstly, things to point out are I found common ground among many of the gay and lesbian stories; they're more similar then people realize. Secondly, as a cisgender gay man, I thought it was good to read first hand accounts of the trans community that I normally don't have access too. Thirdly, I was surprised to see the Illinois was the firs state to legalize homosexuality as a human act with no penalties or jailtime. ( )

This is an extraordinary collection of essays related to the Stonewall Riots. I already understood the riots as the seminal event in the emergence of the Gay Liberation movement. Details and context, however, were missing from my understanding. This book is organized to provide just that. This book is not for the faint of heart. Situations are often fraught with trauma and the language can be graphic. Nevertheless, it is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the impact of Stonewall. My favorite essays were from Martha Shelley and Larry Mitchell. ( )

Wonderful collection of various LGBTQ voices that documents life before, during, and after Stonewall. It is really worth it to listen on audio as it features a diverse cast of readers and a few original recordings as well. It closely mirrors the Making Gay History podcast (indeed, Eric Marcus provides an introduction at the beginning), so if you're familiar with one, you'll enjoy the other. ( )