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A review by amsswim
The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America by Eric Cervini
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.25
I only knew a bit of LGBTQ+ history before reading this, so my goal was to have a greater understanding of it all. This book focuses on the legal and moral battles in the US from around the 1940s and on, specifically following Frank Kameny.
I didn't realize this book was focused on Kameny before picking it up, which threw me off. He was at the front of many of the legal battles and stood alongside/lead many other moral battles and resistance movements, so the focus made sense. That being said I still found myself confused the lack of inclusion of the lesbian movement as well as the civil rights movements of this time. There was a certain point 1/3 of the way in where I nearly left the book behind, but then it became very self reflective and understanding of the initial and continued failings of being intersectional within the gay movement. After the 4th-wall type break, I was much more interested. The general exclusion of race and gender reflected the white men in the movement being exclusive much of the time as well.
Glad I finished this one, but it makes me want a different view of other events. The arc of this book very much reflected Kameny's view on himself as well as the progress of the gay movement, which provides an interesting perspective. If you're into US History and Politics as well as have an interest in this topic I'd recommend this one.
I didn't realize this book was focused on Kameny before picking it up, which threw me off. He was at the front of many of the legal battles and stood alongside/lead many other moral battles and resistance movements, so the focus made sense. That being said I still found myself confused the lack of inclusion of the lesbian movement as well as the civil rights movements of this time. There was a certain point 1/3 of the way in where I nearly left the book behind, but then it became very self reflective and understanding of the initial and continued failings of being intersectional within the gay movement. After the 4th-wall type break, I was much more interested. The general exclusion of race and gender reflected the white men in the movement being exclusive much of the time as well.
Glad I finished this one, but it makes me want a different view of other events. The arc of this book very much reflected Kameny's view on himself as well as the progress of the gay movement, which provides an interesting perspective. If you're into US History and Politics as well as have an interest in this topic I'd recommend this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Transphobia, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Lesbophobia, Outing, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, and Suicide attempt