'The Deviant's War' by Eric Cervini is a gripping account of the early history of LGBTQ advocacy in the United States, focusing on the life and struggles of Frank Kameny. The book delves into the battles faced by Kameny and the LGBTQ community, highlighting the challenges, activism, and spirit of the movement during a tumultuous period. Through engaging prose, the author brings to light the injustices, discrimination, and courage of those who fought for equality, providing a detailed narrative of a pivotal era in LGBTQ history.
The narrative not only captures the personal journey of Kameny but also intertwines it with the broader context of societal and political events, such as the Vietnam War, civil rights movements, and the Red Scare. By exploring Kameny's fight against discrimination and his advocacy for LGBTQ rights, the book sheds light on a lesser-known aspect of history, offering valuable insights into the struggles and triumphs of the early Gay Liberation movement.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
The book deals with themes of discrimination, police violence, and societal oppression which may be triggering to some readers.
From The Publisher:
FINALIST FOR THE 2021 PULITZER PRIZE IN HISTORY. INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER. New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice. Winner of the 2021 Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction. One of The Washington Post's Top 50 Nonfiction Books of 2020.
From a young Harvard- and Cambridge-trained historian, the secret history of the fight for gay rights that began a generation before Stonewall.
In 1957, Frank Kameny, a rising astronomer working for the U.S. Defense Department in Hawaii, received a summons to report immediately to Washington, D.C. The Pentagon had reason to believe he was a homosexual, and after a series of humiliating interviews, Kameny, like countless gay men and women before him, was promptly dismissed from his government job. Unlike many others, though, Kameny fought back.
Based on firsthand accounts, recently declassified FBI records, and forty thousand personal documents, Eric Cervini's The Deviant's War unfolds over the course of the 1960s, as the Mattachine Society of Washington, the group Kameny founded, became the first organization to protest the systematic persecution of gay federal employees. It traces the forgotten ties that bound gay rights to the Black Freedom Movement, the New Left, lesbian activism, and trans resistance. Above all, it is a story of America (and Washington) at a cultural and sexual crossroads; of shocking, byzantine public battles with Congress; of FBI informants; murder; betrayal; sex; love; and ultimately victory.
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