What I'm Currently Reading (August 2026)
My current focus is finishing two physical books I picked up from the Santa Monica Public Library in June, for Pride Month, via the corresponding display in the Main Library:
- We Set the Night on Fire: Igniting the Gay Revolution by Martha Shelley
- The Boy With the Thorn in His Side: A Memoir by Keith Fleming
They're both fascinating first hand accounts of growing up in 1960s (Shelley) and 1970s (Fleming) America and how the changing social mores and customs of the era impacted children and young adults. Memoir is not my typical fare, but I make an exception for first person queer history. Both of these are definitely recommended reads.
Shelley is one of the founders of the modern queer rights movement, co-founder of the Gay Liberation Front. The book extends from her childhood to her young adulthood as a queer rights activist in late 1960s, early 1970s New York and California. I'm in Chapter 19, where we're introduced to the Gay Liberation Front (about halfway through). The book (so far) details her youth as the child of immigrants and young adult life, how she explored being lesbian (and what that looked like back then). She was intersected all sorts of interesting people and events (Stonewall, the Sullivan Institute cult, worked for Robert De Niro's mother before he became famous). She had a relationship with famous bi+ activist Stephen Donaldson aka "Donny The Punk" which caused quite a bit of stir, as they were each spokespeople for lesbian and gay rights groups, respectively (identities != behavior, as this makes clear).
Fleming's book intersects with the queer world primarily through his account of his life with his uncle, Ed White, a famous author (whose works were also on display), who was, per the book flap, "completely caught up in the beehive of social and sexual activity of 1970s gay Manhattan." Fleming's lucid prose provides a fascinating first hand glimpse into the life of a portion of the city's queer community in that era. I'm about three-quarters of the way through the book, where Fleming has been living with his uncle for a bit, and his girlfriend Laura has just managed to escape captivity in a convent (not kidding). I think she is about to come live with them (haven't gotten to that part yet). The book also documents Fleming's experience in various psychiatric facilities, and is a damning account of the often abusive and exploitative nature of psychiatry / psychology (used as a tool for social control of otherwise rational people). Fleming's ability to turn a phrase, to recall the details of events and paint a verbal picture, is marvelous. His prose is luminous and lush, a pleasure to read on its own.
I'll post about the other stuff I'm reading / have been reading once I finish these two off (hopefully tonight).
Tags: reading, smpl, library-books, history, memoir, lgbtqia, queer