Nonfiction Books - Page 4

Gender and Jim Crow: Women and the Politics of White Supremacy in North Carolina, 1896-1920 (Gender and American Culture)

Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 6 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

An innovative look at post-Reconstruction race relations 4 out of 5 stars.
9 of 9 people found this review helpful.

As Gilmore writes (p. 1) in Gender and Jim Crow, "since historians enter a story at its end, they sometimes forget that what is past to them was future to their subjects." And with regard to black optimism, potential and opportunities during Reconstruction, African American "subjects" looked forward to a future of encouraging possibilities, as African American males had real political power and influence within the Republican and populist parties, which courted their votes. These men and women believed that race as a social classification would decline in importance in favor of class. Yet just as the hopes of Agrarian radicals were thwarted by the harsh the realities of the two-party system, so too were the dreams of Reconstruction-era blacks crushed by the resurgence of white supremacy and the systematic attempts by whites to disenfranchise the Negro. Gilmore presents this tale of high hopes and shattered dreams in her first chapter, "Place and Possibility."
Gilmore's story is one of perseverance among the increasingly subjugated blacks of North Carolina after Reconstruction ended, in particular, the struggle of middle class black women to maintain power, dignity and to some degree control over their lives and communities. By the 1890s, the ugly image of white supremacy showed its face, as white men fought a successful battle to disenfranchise black men through the instrument of fear, that is to say, fear for the safety of white women from the ravenous clutches of Negro rapists. As Gilmore details, this sexually based contrivance branded black men as beasts and drove them from the political realm. Articulate black women, she argues, stepped in to this cultural and political vacuum to coordinate with whites (especially white women and Northern reformers) to get social services and to work for "racial uplift," especially through church and voluntary associations such as the Women's Christian Temperance Union. Gilmore notes that these types of activities were not as exposed to white restrictions or ire as overt political action, and thus helped to assure some success by these middle-class black females. It seems that black women could travel within certain community and political circles that were no longer open to their male counterparts.
Gender and Jim Crow is an innovative look at post-Reconstruction race relations, in that the chief actors in Gilmore's tale are women. It nicely dovetails with Kantrowitz's Ben Tillman and the Reconstruction of White Supremacy, in that we see similar examples of the creation of Jim Crow and the use of sexual fears to bolster notions of white supremacy as well as white political solidarity. While Kantrowitz shows that Ben Tillman was representative of many of white Southerners of his day, I am unconvinced that Gilmore's subjects are as representative. Her geographic realm is limited to one state of the Upper South, North Carolina; did black women carve out a similar role for themselves in the Deep South as well? Additionally, her cast of characters is quite small, and perhaps we are drawn to these women and their story because of its very exceptionalsim and not its typicality. Nevertheless, Gilmore's new and nuance perspective is groundbreaking and valuable in that we see the era of Jim Crow from a viewpoint previously unexplored.

Editorial Review:

Historian Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore examines an unfamiliar world in this groundbreaking study, the world of middle-class, educated black women at a time that was one of the nadirs of black-white relations in America. With the Supreme Court's affirmation of legal segregation, Southern black men found themselves disfranchised and excluded from politics. Black women filled that vacuum, Gilmore argues, making a place for themselves as ambassadors to the white community, and as activists on behalf of blacks, and bequeathing to their descendants a heritage of resistance that culminated in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and '60s.

Damron Mens Travel Guide (Damron Men's Travel Guide)

Gina M. Gatta

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Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The original gay travel guide! Formerly Bob Damron’s Address Book, published by and for gay men since 1964. Covers the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, and major cities in South America, Europe & SE Asia. European cities now include Paris, London, Dublin, Berlin, Amsterdam, Vienna, Rome, Prague, and Barcelona, Madrid, and Sitges, Spain. In South America: Buenos Aires, Argentina; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Santiago, Chile. In SE Asia: Bangkok, Tokyo and Sydney Quick facts on everything the gay traveler on the go needs. Over 13,000 listings of gay-friendly hotels, B&Bs, bars, nightclubs, bookstores, cafes, restaurants, gyms, men’s clubs. saunas & much more. Every single listing verified annually–many within weeks of publication! The International Calendar of Events features Circuit Parties, Gay Pride Celebrations, Gay Film Festivals, Leather, Fetish & Bear Events. The Tour and Travel Sections details gay Cruises, Tours & Vacations, including Cruises & Luxury Tours, Outdoor Adventures, Retreats & Conferences

The Joy of Gay Sex, Revised & Expanded Third Edition

Charles Silverstein, Felice Picano

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Good, but not all I expected 4 out of 5 stars.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful.

Based on the title, i expected more specific sexual discussion, and what was here was fine, but along with that were a lot of references to social aspects of gay life and relationships, which, technically is not covered under "gay sex"

Editorial Review:

For a new century and a new generation of readers comes a fully revised and expanded edition of a classic guide to gay sex, love, and life.

Invaluable as a sex guide, a resource on building self-esteem, and a trusted aid for coming out of the closet, The Joy of Gay Sex covers the ins and outs of gay life alphabetically from "anus" to "wrestling." Noted psychologist Dr. Charles Silverstein has collaborated once again with critically acclaimed novelist Felice Picano on this third edition, updating every single entry and adding nearly thirty new entries. The authors provide positive and responsible advice on safe sex in all its varieties; on emotional and relationship-oriented issues such as long-term couples, loneliness, and growing older; and on scores of diverse topics ranging from spirituality to online dating. With fifty new line drawings by acclaimed illustrator Joseph Phillips, this landmark reference is a necessary addition to every gay man's bookshelf.

Queer Theory, Gender Theory: An Instant Primer

Riki Wilchins

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 9 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

NOTHING SHORT OF A GREAT BOOK 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 11 people found this review helpful.

Riki Wilchins has crafted a marvelous primer on the major gender issues facing Americans today, and it's worth reading the book for that purpose alone; but Wilchins manages to provide more than a primer, she gives new life to the long dormant idea that King, Gandhi and Jesus died for, the idea that across the board social constructs must be abandoned, and the fight must be for equal rights for all. Period. No sub-divisions, no special rights, just rights that each and every person is entitled to simply because they are a person.

I doubt Wilchins intended her book to be a theological treatise, but to my way of thinking, her ideas mirror those of Jesus who not only deconstructed social constructs, but taught that each and every person is entitled not only to radical love, but life in a community of radical egalitarianism.

"Queer Theory, Gender Theory" is a great read, a wonderful book, and a breath of fresh air in this age of homophobic rhetoric. In short, buy and read this great book!

Editorial Review:

A one-stop, no-nonsense introduction to the core of postmodern theory, particularly its impact on queer and gender studies. Nationally known gender activist Riki Wilchins combines straightforward prose with concrete examples from LGBT and feminist politics, as well as her own life, to guide the reader through the ideas that have forever altered our understanding of bodies, sex and desire. This is that rare postmodern theory book that combines accessibility, passion, personal experience and applied politics, noting at every turn why these ideas matter and how they can affect your daily life.

Riki Wilchins is the founding executive director of the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition. The author of Read My Lips and GenderQueer. She was selected by Time magazine as one of "100 Civic Innovators for the 21st Century."

The Transgender Child: A Handbook for Families and Professionals

Stephanie A. Brill, Rachel Pepper

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

This comprehensive first of its kind guidebook explores the unique challenges that thousands of families face every day raising their children in every city and state. Through extensive research and interviews, as well as years of experience working in the field, the authors cover gender variance from birth through college. What do you do when your toddler daughter’s first sentence is that she’s a boy? What will happen when your preschool son insists on wearing a dress to school? Is this ever just a phase? How can you explain this to your neighbors and family? How can parents advocate for their children in elementary schools? What are the current laws on the rights of transgender children? What do doctors specializing in gender variant children recommend? What do the therapists say? What advice do other families who have trans kids have? What about hormone blockers and surgery? What issues should your college-bound trans child be thinking about when selecting a school? How can I best raise my gender variant or transgender child with love and compassion, even when I barely understand the issues ahead of us? And what is gender, anyway? These questions and more are answered in this book offering a deeper understanding of gender variant and transgender children and teens.

The Straight Girl's Guide to Sleeping with Chicks

Jen Sincero

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Total reviews: 21 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

"You can't swing a dead cat at a bridal shower without hitting a straight chick who's slept with another woman, who's thought about it, or who's ready to make the move as soon as someone breaks out the booze."

Such are the incisive pearls of wisdom to be heard from straight chick and girl-on-girl dabbler Jen Sincero, author of The Straight Girl's Guide to Sleeping with Chicks. A deliciously sexy how-to guide, it gives curious straight women the complete inside scoop on girl-on-girl action -- from pickup lines and virgin jitters to threesomes, techniques, and toys. Drawing on personal experience and hundreds of interviews with straight girls who've slept with lesbians, straight girls who've slept with straight girls, lesbians who've slept with straight girls, and straight girls who've done both or neither, Sincero covers the A to Z of the experience including:

· Obtaining a visitor's pass to the girls-only club

· The super-huge importance of sticking your hand down your pants

· The straight girl's starter kit -- from nail clippers to cocktails to get her in the mood

· "Gettin' Some 101" -- positions, techniques, and instructional photos

· "And Boy Makes Three!" -- how to have a threesome that's fun for all

· Suggestions for further viewing and reading and much, much more

Packed with expertly toned advice that is at once laugh-out-loud hilarious and fundamentally practical, The Straight Girl's Guide to Sleeping with Chicks is ideal for any woman looking to spice things up with a boyfriend, break the ice with a best friend, or simply add a few just-in-case items to her sexual menu.

The Trouble with Normal: Sex, Politics, and the Ethics of Queer Life

Michael Warner

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Total reviews: 20 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Trouble with Normal argues passionately against same-sex marriage, but here's the twist: not because it denigrates the institution of marriage, but because it perpetuates the cultural shame attached to sex between consenting but unmarried adults. When gay men and lesbians try to claim that they're just like "normal folk," Michael Warner writes, they do a profound disservice to other queer folk who choose not to live in monogamous or matrimonial bliss and who believe that the solution to being stigmatized for your sexuality is not to pretend it doesn't exist. Same-sex marriage advocates, he continues, often seem to be willfully blind to the cultural ramifications of their position, viewing marriage as "an intensified and deindividuated form of coming out." They don't seem to realize that if society validates their relationships, other types of relationships will by necessity be invalidated. (He also makes a strong case for the fight against sexual shame's being more than a queer issue, citing 1998's presidential impeachment crisis: "[Bill] Clinton, certainly, was not the first to discover how hard it is in this culture to assert any dignity when you stand exposed as a sexual being.") Extending his analysis, Warner shows how the championing of married gays and lesbians as "normal" is part of the same cultural climate that leads to "quality of life" crackdowns against queercentric businesses--as is already underway in New York City--and a deliberate sabotage of safer-sex education that puts millions of Americans at continued risk of exposure to HIV. Warner's precise, straightforward argument is enlivened by numerous sharp zingers, as when he accuses Andrew Sullivan of "breath[ing] new and bitchy life into Jesuitical pieties" about sexual morality. The Trouble with Normal is a bold, provocative book that forces readers to reconsider what sexual liberation really means. --Ron Hogan

She's Not the Man I Married: My Life with a Transgender Husband

Helen Boyd

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Total reviews: 25 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Helen Boyd's husband, who had long been open about being a cross-dresser, was considering living as a woman full time. Suddenly, Boyd was confronted with the reality of what it would mean if her husband were actually to become a woman — socially, legally, and medically. Would Boyd love and desire her partner the same way?
Boyd's first book, My Husband Betty, explored the relationships of cross-dressing men and their partners. Now, She's Not the Man I Married is both a sequel and a more expansive examination of gender in relationships. It's for couples who are homosexual or heterosexual, and for readers who fall anywhere along the gender continuum.
As Boyd struggles to understand the nature of marriage, passion, and love, she shares her confusion and anger, providing a fascinating observation of the ways in which relationships are gendered, and how we cope, or don't, with the emotional and sexual pressures that gender roles can bring to our marriages and relationships.

Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People in Western Europe from the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century

John Boswell

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Total reviews: 23 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

John Boswell's highly acclaimed study of the history of attitudes toward homosexuality in the Christian West challenges received opinion and our own preconceptions about the Church's past relationship to its gay members, among whom were priests, bishops and even canonized saints. The historical breadth of Boswell's research (from the Greeks to Aquinas) and the variety of sources consulted (legal, literary, theological, artistic, and scientific) make this one of the most extensive treatments of any single aspect of Western social history. The product of ten years of research and analysis of records in a dozen languages, this book opens up a new area of historical inquiry and helps elucidate the origins and operations of intolerance as a social force.

"What makes this work so exciting is not simply its content--fascinating though that is--but its revolutionary challenge to some of Western culture's most familiar moral assumptions." --Jean Strouse, Newsweek

"Truly groundbreaking work. Boswell reveals unexplored phenomena with an unfailing erudition." --Michel Foucault

"[Boswell] has mastered one of the rarest skills: the ability to write about sex with genuine wit. Improbable as it might seem, this work of unrelenting scholarship and high intellectual drama is also thoroughly entertaining." --Paul Robinson, New York Times Book Review

John Boswell (1947-1994) was the A. Whitney Griswold Professor of History at Yale University and the author of The Royal Treasure, The Kindness of Strangers, and Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe.

The Complete Kake Comics (French and German Edition)

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

quite a complete collection 5 out of 5 stars.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.

Wish it were in its original release size and not thick digest form.
Otherwise a comprehensive collection of Tom's work.

Flawed, but interesting for collectors 3 out of 5 stars.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

For openers, the material is well drawn and EXTREMELY exciting. This set of fantasies will set your fantasy engine on fire, and the printing is very nearly perfect with some breakup of electronically transmitted images seen as acute jaggies in the close-up pages. The paper is excellent; hi-clay art stock of sufficient weight to hold the large black areas without show-through.

Why only three stars? Two MAJOR flaws:

1) The book is too heavy and bulky to be held for easy (lustful) reading. The publisher would have done everyone a favor had each "Volume" been printed separately ( as in the originals) and then gathered into a single sleeve to show the "weight" of the publication. This may not bother collectors, but for those of us looking to resurrect years gone by, this volume is just too much for weakened old wrists.

2) The title is "The Complete Kake Comics". The collection --- isn't! "Beachboys", and what others are missing?

Editorial Review:

All 26 episodes of the Kake comic serial have been collected in one volume--a reflection of a time when gay men were men, sex was carefree, and everyone wore a big, thick, mustache.