Marc Solomon

Dear opponents of same-sex marriage: do not read this book.

You may think that reading "Winning Marriage," Marc Solomon's highly accessible account of the marriage equality fight, will teach you how to counter the work of Freedom to Marry, GLAD, HRC and other groups.

You may feel that getting acquainted with some of the pro-equality side's most important figures -- including Evan Wolfson, Mary Bonauto, Edie Windsor, and Solomon himself -- will give you insights on how to neutralize them.

You show more may theorize that learning the nitty-gritty details behind the legislative maneuvering, the strategizing, the fundraising, and the heart-to-heart conversations will let you figure out where you went awry in Massachusetts, New York, California and the other states covered here.

You may even imagine that, after finishing Solomon's account, that you will be fully equipped to take on the courts, the states, and public opinion in turning back the clock and reinstating bans in all 37 states where same-sex marriage is currently legal.

You would be wrong. If anything, you will probably be inspired to take on a different cause rather than continue to face Solomon, his colleagues, and all the new activists this book will create.

However, if you don't believe me (admittedly, as a married lesbian from Massachusetts, I'm extremely biased), read it for yourself. But don't say I didn't warn you! show less

Marc Soloman's "Winning Marriage" presents a close, inside look at a few critical campaigns in the multi-faceted fight to gain nationwide recognition of same-sex marriage. The focus is largely on campaigns to convince legislators to grant (in New York) or not repeal (in Massachusetts) same-sex marriage, campaigns in which the author was intimately involved. Also discussed are a couple key ballot fights and President Obama's "evolution" on the issue. While it tells only part of the show more complicated story of this as-yet-uncompleted struggle, it does so in a very engaging and readable way, and the author’s enthusiasm and passion for his mission come through clearly. I learned a lot about these historic events, of which I only knew the outcomes without understanding the thousands of hours of labor behind them. I even found myself moved by several scenes of normal people making a big difference just by sharing their story of love - an important reminder of a weapon Harvey Milk long ago insisted we use as he exhorted people to "come out" to combat a homophobic agenda. show less

This book was phenomenal. It tells the stories behind the scenes as GLBT organizations worked to attain same-sex marriage in the United States. It focusses on Massachusetts, California, Maine, New York, Obama evolving, and Prop 8 and the Windsor case at the Supreme Court. Incredibly readable (I was not expecting this to be a page-turner!) this inspiring book is meant partly to tell the story and partly to show how social movements work. I would love this book to be in the hands of every GSA show more (gay straight alliance) and I'm going to make sure my public library knows about it. A valuable piece of history, as well as an education about how people make change in politics. show less

I lived this history. I was a part of this fight. I have experienced the sadness of being cast aside and the joys of reaching a victory. Even through all of these things, when reading this book I became excited all over again, cheering on the fight for equality.

There are many ways a book like this could have been written and I believe that this author found the perfect way to explain the history of the fight to every reader, whether they followed each case or have decided to learn something show more new. Those who want to read this book because they want to relive the history won't be disappointed with the experience and will most likely be swept up in the excitement again, like I was.

To anyone who knows someone who is on the fence about marriage equality, I say rush out and get that person a copy of this book because it so perfectly touches the heart of what this struggle is about without being pushy, overpowering or full of lecture. Within these pages you experience the FEELING of what a fight for equality is more than the FORCE of having a decision pushed on to you. Oh, don't get me wrong, there are plenty of stories about encouraging people to change their minds about marriage equality, but they are certainly not phrased in such a way to shame the reader or force their point of view. If anything these stories will help those who want to understand reach that understanding through heartfelt interactions and touching narratives.

Living in the south, I can tell you this wasn't an easy book to carry around. I encountered several less-than-happy strangers who didn't outright confront me about having the book in my hand, but who did find ways to treat me differently once they noticed it. I won't say that this book will change everyone, but it is certainly a leap in the right direction.

My only complaint when I reached the end was that my own situation (and the situation of so many others) was little more than an afterthought when talking about marriage equality. Though this book was about marriage and not immigration, I felt that the immigration aspect was severely neglected. I could not even begin to describe to you the experience of living in an international household for ten years through this fight, waiting and desperate to unite our family that was divided by an ocean. I can not describe the feeling of watching a human being no different than myself be detained in immigration every time we traveled as a family, having to wait in worry while who knew what kind of questioning was going on behind closed doors. So many lives were changed when equality became a national reality and I was very severely hurt by this situation being included as a one or two line mention toward the end of a beautifully written history.

Even though my family seems to have been unimportant the way this history is written, I plan on suggesting this book to everyone I know, to pass it around and spread some of the understanding that is so desperately missing when it comes to this struggle above others. I can not express the importance of this book enough, nor can I properly do the writing justice by writing more here. Read this book. Pass it along to everyone you know. Change the hearts and minds of others one page at a time. Let's keep this winning streak going and let us never forget those who helped us to get where we are today. show less