Making Trouble

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

D'Emilio authored one of the pioneering studies of the birth of the gay movement, Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities. In this collection, he expands on that work, with forays into gay historiography, the rise of gay and lesbian studies in the university and further explorations of the history of gay and lesbian activism in the U.S. One of the author's greatest strengths is his ability to relate the personal to the political, using an illuminating detail from his own life where applicable to make a larger historical point. Thus, his own early sexual experiences in Times Square come into play in an incisive essay on Women Against Pornography, and the introduction recalls movingly his trajectory from working-class white ethnic kid to gay activist and scholar. Because it is a collection of essays, papers and speeches drawn from a fairly narrow period of time, the book is occasionally repetitive. However, D'Emilio is an engaging writer and a superb historian. The final essay, one of the longest in the book, is a quick history of the movement with particular attention to post-Stonewall (1969) activism; one fervently hopes that it is a hint of what D'Emilio's next book project will be. (Sept.)

Library Journal

Gay historian, author, and activist D'Emilio has collected here 20 of his insightful personal and historical essays on the rise of gay scholarship in the United States. Topics range from the birth of a gay identity in post-World War II America to the crucial role that feminism played in turning the heretofore personal issues of gender and sex into social and political ones. He also scores a few more points in the continuing debate over homosexual behavior vs. gay identity. Positioning himself firmly on the radical side, D'Emilio advocates nothing less than a total reevaluation of our society's sexual paradigm. Although a single voice is heard in these essays, D'Emilio's call for gays and lesbians to move beyond minority status to one of freedom and choice, ``to embark on new journeys of sexual definition,'' may well be the rallying cry for renewed activism in the struggle for social justice. Highly recommended for academic libraries or larger public collections with informed lay readers.-- Jeffery Ingram, Newport P.L., Ore.

Booknews

In 20 essays written over a period of almost 20 years, pioneering gay historian and movement activist D'Emilio explores the history of gay life since WWII, describes the courage and accomplishments of gay and lesbian activists, and surveys the vast effect of their movement for equality on American society, politics, and the university. No index. Paper edition (unseen), $15.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)