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Cargando... Outlaw Marriages: The Hidden Histories of Fifteen Extraordinary Same-Sex Couples (2012)por Rodger Streitmatter
![]() Beacon Press (12) Actualmente no hay Conversaciones sobre este libro. ![]() ![]() I want to like this book more than I do. The profiled couples are interesting. The writing style, on the other hand, is very plain, almost perfunctory, with some repetitiveness in the descriptions and largely lacking in complex sentences. I've read about three of the fifteen couples, but don't think I'll finish the book before the digital ARC expires. Honestly, I'm wondering if maybe I'm just not cut out for biographies. (The section on Whitman and Doyle makes me interested in reading Whitman's poetry, though. So I guess I've gotten something out of it?) In Outlaw Marriages author Rodger Streitmatter chronicles the hidden relationships, both tender and turbulent, of fifteen same-sex couples in recent history. What I appreciated most about this book was the sheer amount of information that was new to me; I'd had no idea about the backgrounds of many of these fascinating women and men. Many a time I interrupted my reading in the middle of a chapter, inspired to find out more (e.g., listen to Fanfare for the Common Man, search for images of Johns' flag paintings, find Baldwin's books at the library). On the other hand, I also found the writing somewhat irritating. The chapters were laid out rather unimaginatively -- formulaic and dry. The author also came across as self-congratulatory at having coined the term "outlaw marriage," forcing it into the text at every conceivable opportunity. The writing is functional. No more, no less. The fifteen stories are brief but interesting. It included several couples that I had no idea that at least one of them was gay. It includes mainly famous couples from the nineteenth century to the twentieth century. Some couples remained "married" for decades and often only friends and family knew; not the public. Most were quite successful and often the so called quiet partner was the energy to success. I can't say you have to run out and read this book but it was a curiosity and I am curious. Since I could borrow it from the NYPL e-library it was a trial that cost me nothing. A quick read, relying mainly on secondary sources, Outlaw Marriages is an important reminder that some lesbians and gays have not needed the sanction of the state in order to create fulfilling lives together (The average relationship length here is thirty- five years). The majority of the couples, like social reformer Jane Addams and her partner Mary Rozet Smith, for example, consist of one ‘famous’ person supported by the work of a behind-the-scenes spouse. One of the book’s theses is that the more public partners did their best work when together. While true in some cases (Tennessee Williams and Frank Merlo, for example), this point is debatable in others. sin reseñas | añadir una reseña
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Biography & Autobiography.
LGBTQIA+ (Nonfiction.)
Sociology.
Nonfiction.
HTML:Celebrate LGBTQIA+ history with the engaging and untold stories of fifteen prominent same-sex couples who defied cultural norms and made significant contributions to the arts, theater, social change, and more For more than a century before gay marriage became a hot-button political issue, same-sex unions flourished in America. Pairs of men and pairs of women joined together in committed unions, standing by each other ??for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health? for periods of thirty or forty??sometimes as many as fifty??years. In short, they loved and supported each other every bit as much as any husband and wife. In Outlaw Marriages, cultural historian Rodger Streitmatter reveals how some of these unions didn??t merely improve the quality of life for the two people involved but also enriched the American culture. Among the high-profile couples whose lives and loves are illuminated in the following pages are Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams and Mary Rozet Smith, literary icon Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas, author James Baldwin and Lucien Happersberger, and artists Jasper Johns and Rober No se han encontrado descripciones de biblioteca. |
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![]() GénerosSistema Decimal Melvil (DDC)306.84Social sciences Social Sciences; Sociology and anthropology Culture and Institutions Marriage and Parenting Non-traditional familiesClasificación de la Biblioteca del CongresoValoraciónPromedio:![]()
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