Reviews
Hold Tight Gently: Michael Callen, Essex Hemphill, and the Battlefield of AIDS by Martin Duberman
yung_sch0lar's review against another edition
5.0
Thoroughly researched. Captivating, gut-wrenching, inspiring, and heartbreaking all at the same time. I shed many tears reading this book. And it's amazing how much more clear-eyed, compassionate, and incisive the reporting and storytelling is here than in And the Band Played On. While reading that book was important for me at the time that I did, I am honestly somewhat amazed (and pretty frustrated) that books like Hold Tight Gently have not knocked Shilts' book off its pedestal within AIDS histories.
Mike Callen and Essex Hemphill are figures who should be far better known and far more revered than they are. And so much of that is simply because they left us so soon. Now, mostly, what we have is the work and the legacies they left behind. And thank god for that.
Mike Callen and Essex Hemphill are figures who should be far better known and far more revered than they are. And so much of that is simply because they left us so soon. Now, mostly, what we have is the work and the legacies they left behind. And thank god for that.
thuglibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
Mashup of history, medicine and AIDS. Well written, although it is not as readable as some of the more recent books on this subject. Readers never really get to *know* the 2 men who Martin Duberman writes about, which is a shame.
bluenicorn's review against another edition
2.0
I struggled with this book. It's a topic near and dear my heart, and I'm a big fan of the work of Essex Hemphill. But... I felt like the author was given access to these two men's papers and then tried to connect dots where there weren't any. Michael Callen and Essex Hemphill were very, very different from each other- and in the way they were involved with/connected to the AIDS "movement." That alone could have provided a good basis for contrast in the book. But I didn't feel like the author really made those points of contrast. Furthermore, there was a chapter where almost every paragraph started with a long dash "--", and I don't know if that was just poor editing or a weird literary choice. But I did not feel like the transitions between points (when I could determine what those salient points were) were very fluid, either. There wasn't really any new information provided, either- kind of the same information about ACT UP and the GMHC, etc. There were also a few personal interjections of the author that felt out of place, conversational, and not related to the book.
bgg616's review against another edition
5.0
I waivered between 4 and 5 stars and decided that this important work by the historian Martin Duberman deserves my highest rating. This is not a book for everyone, and I have to admit with my New England puritanism and Catholic upbringing, some of the details about the lives of gay men in the 1980's and on weren't easy reading. But this story of two men, Michael Callen, a white midwestern man from a conservative religious family, and Essex Hemphill, a black poet from Southeast Washington DC, is the story of the struggles gay men faced in the AIDS era on many fronts.
Callen, a gifted singer, had moved to New York City, to pursue a career in music. Callen became HIV positive early in the 1980's and came to be known as a long term survivor. Callen was an early proponent of educating the gay community as well as other vulnerable communities including urban minority populations about HIV and AIDS and safe sex. As readers we have to remember that AIDS appeared at a time that gay liberation was focused on sexual liberation. Callen was a proponent of sexual liberation at the same time he was working tirelessly to promote safe(r) sex.
Hemphill was a black gay man in Washington DC and a gifted poet. Hemphill experienced tremendous racism within the gay community. Clubs were segregated as were most venues and events in the gay community. Hemphill confronted and challenged this racism over and over again. One of the memorable scenes for me was the experience he had when he sent one of his books to the Washington Post Book World for review. He followed up and the editor denied that it had arrived. Hemphill sent the book 3 times via registered post and each time the editor said it hadn't arrived. Someone working at the Post later reported that the editor in fact had said he wasn't going to review a book by a black gay man, though he used much cruder language.
I learned a great deal, not only about the fight to find medications and drugs to alleviate the effects of AIDS, but the lack of political consciousness within the gay male community. Callen had many close friends in the lesbian community and was a feminist. The feminist movement was more politically sophisticated than the gay men's community. Callen and his lesbian feminist allies were at the forefront of many of the efforts in fighting AIDS and pushing the fight forward.There is also a great deal of detail about ACT UP. Callen wasn't convinced that their approach was the right one, and the reader sees inside the ups and downs of this movement. Callen was also very critical of others in the movement such as Randy Shilts who he portrays as extremely conservative.
The book also provides us with many samples of Hemphill's poetry. I read a lot of poetry, and his work is powerful. Callen made a number of recordings with various groups he was in as well as on his own. Sadly, it is not readily available, and none is in digital form. Considering the artistic gifts of these men, it is a huge loss that so little of their artistic legacies remain. It is a reminder of the huge toll of AIDS. The filmmaker Marlon Riggs who worked with Hemphill is also mentioned in the book. Fortunately his films are in print, but they are not the kind of films you find readily on Netflix etc.
This was a read for one of my book clubs. Unfortunately, the discussion was dominated by members who hadn't read the book. One man asked numerous questions of a gay man in our group such as how to gay men meet one another, what were bathhouses like, etc. It was very inappropriate but perhaps because the questionner is in his 70's they were answered. There were important themes in this book we didn't get to discuss such as racism in the gay community of the time, and Hemphill's insistence that his primary fight was against racism and then against homophobia. But an appropriate choice for a group that reads books about social justice and diversity.
Callen, a gifted singer, had moved to New York City, to pursue a career in music. Callen became HIV positive early in the 1980's and came to be known as a long term survivor. Callen was an early proponent of educating the gay community as well as other vulnerable communities including urban minority populations about HIV and AIDS and safe sex. As readers we have to remember that AIDS appeared at a time that gay liberation was focused on sexual liberation. Callen was a proponent of sexual liberation at the same time he was working tirelessly to promote safe(r) sex.
Hemphill was a black gay man in Washington DC and a gifted poet. Hemphill experienced tremendous racism within the gay community. Clubs were segregated as were most venues and events in the gay community. Hemphill confronted and challenged this racism over and over again. One of the memorable scenes for me was the experience he had when he sent one of his books to the Washington Post Book World for review. He followed up and the editor denied that it had arrived. Hemphill sent the book 3 times via registered post and each time the editor said it hadn't arrived. Someone working at the Post later reported that the editor in fact had said he wasn't going to review a book by a black gay man, though he used much cruder language.
I learned a great deal, not only about the fight to find medications and drugs to alleviate the effects of AIDS, but the lack of political consciousness within the gay male community. Callen had many close friends in the lesbian community and was a feminist. The feminist movement was more politically sophisticated than the gay men's community. Callen and his lesbian feminist allies were at the forefront of many of the efforts in fighting AIDS and pushing the fight forward.There is also a great deal of detail about ACT UP. Callen wasn't convinced that their approach was the right one, and the reader sees inside the ups and downs of this movement. Callen was also very critical of others in the movement such as Randy Shilts who he portrays as extremely conservative.
The book also provides us with many samples of Hemphill's poetry. I read a lot of poetry, and his work is powerful. Callen made a number of recordings with various groups he was in as well as on his own. Sadly, it is not readily available, and none is in digital form. Considering the artistic gifts of these men, it is a huge loss that so little of their artistic legacies remain. It is a reminder of the huge toll of AIDS. The filmmaker Marlon Riggs who worked with Hemphill is also mentioned in the book. Fortunately his films are in print, but they are not the kind of films you find readily on Netflix etc.
This was a read for one of my book clubs. Unfortunately, the discussion was dominated by members who hadn't read the book. One man asked numerous questions of a gay man in our group such as how to gay men meet one another, what were bathhouses like, etc. It was very inappropriate but perhaps because the questionner is in his 70's they were answered. There were important themes in this book we didn't get to discuss such as racism in the gay community of the time, and Hemphill's insistence that his primary fight was against racism and then against homophobia. But an appropriate choice for a group that reads books about social justice and diversity.
justabean_reads's review
4.0
Good overview over the worst of the AIDS epidemic in the US gay community, which I knew in outlines, but not in specifics. I liked that the author, who had lived through it and who has an HIV+ partner, kept touching in with where he was and his personal observations, as it gave a stronger emotional connection.
I was reading this book because of an interest in Essex Hemphill, who unfortunately hasn't left much of a paper trail, so only got about half the coverage that Michael Callen did, but what I did read was very interesting, and I liked the long poetry excerpts. Someone very much needs to publish a complete works of Hemphill's, as his writing is otherwise difficult to come by.
It was good to have perspectives on the black and white gay communities, and how they related to the epidemic, as well as each other, and the straight communities. The lesbian involvement was also interesting to read about, especially in the black community. I would happily read several whole books about the lesbian side of Harlem Renaissance II.
I was reading this book because of an interest in Essex Hemphill, who unfortunately hasn't left much of a paper trail, so only got about half the coverage that Michael Callen did, but what I did read was very interesting, and I liked the long poetry excerpts. Someone very much needs to publish a complete works of Hemphill's, as his writing is otherwise difficult to come by.
It was good to have perspectives on the black and white gay communities, and how they related to the epidemic, as well as each other, and the straight communities. The lesbian involvement was also interesting to read about, especially in the black community. I would happily read several whole books about the lesbian side of Harlem Renaissance II.
eriknoteric's review
5.0
I honestly cannot emphasize enough just how important Martin Duberman’s contribution to the growing collection of books on the history of the AIDS crisis is. Using the stories of two of the crisis’ most important figures, Michael Callen and Essex Hemphill, Duberman gives a meticulous and detailed telling of the history of the crisis from the discovery in the early 80s to the discovery of protease inhibitors in December 1995.
What makes this book so important, though, is its intersectional engagement with the history it discusses. Duberman doesn’t back down from confronting the ways in which white gays failed gay POCs and does so in a way that gives credit where credit is due, but also acknowledges the racism, classism, and failures that stemmed from the assimilationist practices of many of the activist circles.
A must read history of the AIDS crisis that is groundbreaking.
What makes this book so important, though, is its intersectional engagement with the history it discusses. Duberman doesn’t back down from confronting the ways in which white gays failed gay POCs and does so in a way that gives credit where credit is due, but also acknowledges the racism, classism, and failures that stemmed from the assimilationist practices of many of the activist circles.
A must read history of the AIDS crisis that is groundbreaking.
kennethwade's review
5.0
“‘We are beginning to see that homophobia and racism are not, as some of us thought, totally unrelated. We are beginning to see that America’s fear and ignorance of homosexuals and its hate and bigotry toward black and brown people are not just coincidental.’”
This is a supremely readable and informative examination of the AIDS crisis through the lives of two otherwise unrelated men. I can not recommend this enough if you have any interest in the topic or in the history of marginalized peoples.
The author has clearly worked tirelessly to compile and sort through tons of research in order to offer the most digestible product to the reader. Hold Tight Gently has definitely sparked an interest in me to read more from this author and on this topic.
5 out of 5 stars
“...Mike felt sure, he told the New York congressional delegation, that ‘if such a deadly disease were affecting more privileged members of American society, there can be no doubt that the government’s response would have been immediate.’”
This is a supremely readable and informative examination of the AIDS crisis through the lives of two otherwise unrelated men. I can not recommend this enough if you have any interest in the topic or in the history of marginalized peoples.
The author has clearly worked tirelessly to compile and sort through tons of research in order to offer the most digestible product to the reader. Hold Tight Gently has definitely sparked an interest in me to read more from this author and on this topic.
5 out of 5 stars
“...Mike felt sure, he told the New York congressional delegation, that ‘if such a deadly disease were affecting more privileged members of American society, there can be no doubt that the government’s response would have been immediate.’”
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