Jun 152013
Queers in History: The Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Historical Gays, Lesbians and Bisexuals
Queers in History is the first comprehensive biographical compendium of important historical and contemporary figures who were/are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. From Egyptian pharaohs, Catholic popes and Abraham Lincoln to Bishop Gene Robinson, Neil Patrick Harris and Angelina Jolie, Queers in History brings these figures, from their work to their sexuality, to life.
The hundreds of people whose stories appear in this book are some of the most intriguing personalities of their ti
List Price: $ 2.99
Price: $ 2.99
Questionable Credibility,
Queers in History is best described as the hybrid of an encyclopedia and a gossip column. It’s certainly entertaining in places, but I’m not convinced that all of the claims are credible. I wish there were more discussion of the sources that led to the author’s conclusions. Also, the book contains many individuals who had just a single homosexual experience; I don’t know if that necessarily qualifies them as queer.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Who? What? WOW!,
I could not put this book down, it’s like a bag of potato chips; once you start, you can’t stop. The importance of this book is in the title “Queers in History”, what made them famous, infamous, was not just their sexuality but their sense of purpose. But did their sexuality play an important part in it? Most likely because what drives gay, straight, bi people are their goals in life, and their decisions in life are made emotionally, what they feel, what they need, what fuels their passions.
Keith Stern’s book is not just a historical look at homosexuality but it brings to the forefront what is the common denominator of us all, the search for our own “place in the world”. I highly recommend this book as a gift to all your straight, gay, bi, transexual friends and as a book to place on the coffee table to start lively conversations at any social gathering.
Was this review helpful to you?
|Queers in History,
This book was a disappointment to me because I expected to read of fully developed characters but found instead little more information than an obituary might contain. BUT my biggest disappointment is that the book includes people who were attracted to children, clearly more pedophile than homosexual, and that does not belong in a book about Queers any more than a book about heterosexuals should include people who are attracted to children. I do not recommend this book as “the comprehensive encyclopedia of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals.”
Was this review helpful to you?
|