The Stonewall Reader

In light of the 50th Anniversary of Stonewall, picked up this particular book because it looked to be interesting, and it was.This volume is compiled from multiple sources pre-, during, and post- Stonewall (the author lists them out as you read through) and gives a deep narrative than the more "sanitized" version of Stonewall that's existed out there.Being LGBT+ hasn't been all sunshine and mimosas, and the stories of what people had gone through during that time (and are still going through today) should let you know that the fight for LGBT+ equality isn't over.What I also like about this book is that the people in it aren't shy about being who they are...even if our fee-fees in the PC "I can't hear anything that might ever offend me" culture of 2019 couldn't handle it...the people in this compilation LIVED the Stonewall period...they didn't have the decades of memory making it rainbow and corporate-sponsored to forget the rough parts...which should never be forgotten.

This was an insightful reading! It painted a picture of what was happening in history before, during, and after Stonewall, but it also spoke to people's emotions and feelings. It portraits the linkage among humans. Other social movements are interwind and intersected both in history but also in the revolution, such as women or Afro-american's rights.Also, there is some beautiful and raw writing, which is also so much appreciated!Highly recommended!

This anthology of the Stonewall Riots is broken into 3 sections: before, during, and after the riots. The stories are deeply personal accounts of the stigma, harassment, pain and isolation experienced by lesbians and gays and how the Stonewll Riots not only helped changed societies perceptions but their own perceptions of themselves as well. The voices have to be read as a product of their time with an understanding of how different identities such as trans and queens people and racial experiences were understood and intersected in the environment surrounding the riots

Read this book if you want to know what the word "courage" really means. This is a collection of articles written by people who stuck out their necks in the years before gay liberation caught fire sometime in the '70s. As such, along with the book "The Gay Revolution", it takes us into the lives of people who risked life and limb to protest, march, boycott, disrupt, and make noise until we were heard by those in positions of power.The current and strangely apathetic generation of gay people are too focused on personal identity, CAPS, and their cellphones to take the time to learn about their own history, but here is a crucial part of it. My only quibble with the book is that its content is a bit top-heavy with the lesbian voices. I read it all with interest nonetheless as they were indeed participants in the Stonewall uprising. I know I shall sound politically incorrect here, but the lives and experience of gay men are different in various ways from that of lesbians. I won't elaborate, just ask any gay man if his life is as safe or socially acceptable as a lesbian's. However, that was not necessarily the case in the '50s and '60s so the representation, although a bit content-heavy, is justifiable. Kudos to the publisher (Penguin, a high quality publisher) for publishing this book. It should be essential reading for every CAP in the train of CAPS as the rest of you under our expanded umbrella were there confronting the police in 1969 as well. This book is raw history (or "herstory" if you prefer). I recognized only a few names of the contributors but many of them personally witnessed the Stonewall uprising, adding to what is a fascinating book. The last 4 or 5 pages are sobering and jaw-dropping reminders of the scary reality these brave people were dealing with.... in America.

This book has wonderful, first hand accounts of people who were early participants in the LGBT movement. It's a volume well worth reading and keeping for future reference. My only wish is that it had been printed on better paper as thepages of the book will soon brown and become brittle.

This is an excellent collection of literature that comes in different genres (journal article, memoir, novel, interview, etc.). The diversity of the genres and the broad topics that are covered give the book an interesting, refreshing, authoritative perspective. Wonderful editorial job by The New York Public Library.

This book gives a much different perspective on the Stonewall riots which have undergone a mythological aspect depending on the book you read. This book is a series of essays that take place in the years leading up to the riot, the actual riot, and the years following. It's a must read if you want to understand the decades long struggle toward equality for the LGBTQ Community, and the struggle that continues and will continue for generations to come.

Each essay and story is very unique. A collection that covers the before and after of this historic event. So many LHBTQ+ youths do not know about such an important piece of history.“The first pride was a riot”

Item arrived as expected, quickly and in good condition. Good read. Thanks!

A great collection of essays and interviews.

Great book!

I'm gay and live in Canada (British Columbia), where rights and freedoms for LGBT2S exist today, I'm proud to say. It wasn't always like this however, and I am aware that in many places in the world LGBT2S people are still not accepted in society. From the texts in this book, I am able to learn about the hardships our community had to endure during those important times in our LGBT2S history. And unexpectedly, this book also made impact on my own perception-of-self as a result of reading from a variety of LGBT2S people's view points from those times. Great reading!

very little about Stonewall more about whoever was not there and more about rewriting history with the modern times wanted to be so agenda ... A shame...