Finished "We Set the Night on Fire: Igniting the Gay Revolution" by Martha Shelley
Shelley's writing is straightforward and unadorned, but she paints a wonderful picture of queer / lesbian / activist life in NYC in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and her first person account of events and happenings, from the ground floor of the queer rights revolution, the dawn of the movement, is riviting for someone fascinated with the era. So much freedom, so much possibility, I'm a bit envious... and, her analysis of how the economy made it possible for people to do activist work and art on a limited, part-time income, and still survive (even with sacrifice) dovetails very much with Fleming's account of how it was possible for him to have autonomy and independence only a little later in 1970s NYC. 100% worth picking up (and a copy should be available via the Santa Monica Public Library, as I returned this yesterday afternoon / Sunday).
We Set the Night on Fire: Igniting the Gay Revolution by Martha ShelleyTags: reading, smpl, library-books, history, memoir, lgbtqia, queer, finished-reading