Reviews (3)

the previous reviewer beat me to it
It's a mistake to start reading this book because it's hard to do anything else. It's a banal statement to say one is impressed with a book for, say, it's style of writing or it's content or because he/she may say something with which you wholeheartedly agree, but I wholeheartedly agree with the Reverend White's words and I confess, it has put fear in my heart. His incredible objectivity--and it cannot have been easy--make it clear that there's a lot of vigilance one is going to need in the days ahead on any number of issues. It was especially helpful to me since I am not a protestant, to know the difference between evangelicalism and fundamentalism. I have a divinity school degree from Berkeley but cannot remember any time the meaning of these two words/concept became an issue.
An Insider Takes Us Deeper Into the Danger of the Christian Right-wing
Mel White's brand new book, Religion Gone Bad is his latest intimate analysis of the intentions of the extreme religious right-wing of Christianity that's been setting the national agenda for over a decade.
Reverend White is a pioneer for telling the truth
This is a fascinating book. The Reverend gives an honest portrayal of religious fundamentalism in America. He details how these fanatics preach their hate towards decent and hardworking homosexual people and try to use the pulpit to preach politics. Anyone that preaches bigotry in the name of religion should read "Religion Gone Bad" with an open mind and open heart. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Censorship    2. Christianity    3. Fundamentalism    4. Gay Studies    5. Homosexuality    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Religion    8. Religion And Politics    9. Religion, Politics & State    10. Religious aspects    11. United States    12. Political Science / Censorship   

Reviews (17)

Welcome to Progressive Christianity
Eric Elnes is just one of many Christians trying to change the discussion of Christianity and Christian values in American culture today.This small book, built around the 12 affirmations he and colleagues, friends, and co-religionists in Arizona have put together, is a fine summation of what many Christians today would like folks to understand should be the character of 21st century Christianity.It is a book whose ideas resonate with those in other faiths as well.It should be an invitation to those who have walked away from the church to reconsider their faith and return to work with others to make sure the church is tolerant, inclusive, compassionate, and is a church that takes faith, prayer, and the Bible seriously (if not literally in the last case).Each chapter covers an affirmation, treating it in most cases with an incident drawn from Elnes's pastoral experiences.It is an easy read.Give it your consideration.
Connections Are What This Book is All About
One of the things I search for in any book, theological, true life story, or novel, is the ability to make me think, touch my emotional core, and move me to action. "The Phoenix Affirmations" does that through a very skillful use of "real-people" stories tied to affirming, life-renewing, theological principles that are grounded in Jesus' values - love of God, neighbor, and self.
An important and generous book, a bridge-builder's guide
Dr. Elnes' learned, measured, and accessible prose charts the resilient strengths of a fear-LESS Christianity. The vision of the Phoenix Affirmations challenges both our internal and external capacities to love. It's a recipe for prayer and action. The affirmations speak about commitments to the natural world, inclusiveness, art in worship, church-state separation, science, leisure. There is also an unapologetic commitment to openness to other faiths and even to those with none; yet love of Christ resonates on every page. Read it, study it, share it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Christianity    2. Christianity - Christian Life - General    3. Christianity - Education - General    4. Christianity - Pentecostalism    5. Faith    6. Forecasting    7. Religion    8. Religion - Christian Life    9. Religion - Educational Resources    10. Religion & Beliefs    11. Religion / Christian Life   

Reviews (15)

Elegant as silk, sharp as a scalpel
Kenji Yoshino's book manages a difficult feat: it is simultaneously elegant and hard-hitting. Yoshino, a professor at Yale Law School, blends memoir and legal history as he charts the changing attitude of American society toward homosexuality. Formerly, gays were treated as if they had a deadly disease--if they were not willing to change, forcible means such as lobotomy and electroshock therapy were at hand to "convert" them. Next, they were left alone as long as they were willing to hide their sexuality. The riots of Stonewall and the AIDS plague were watersheds in changing this attitude, as gay men and women demanded to be recognized as such AND treated as human beings.
Insightful and much needed
Yoshino is one of the brightest stars in civil rights discussion. I found his book insightful and even necessary for any real progress to be made for civil rights for all people.

What a career!
I found the personal coming out to his parents story very moving; it brought tears to my eyes.I also loved the epilogue and the story of the blue star.But, in between, what a lot of navel-gazing and counting of angels on the head of a pin.I'm a lawyer, but I admit I got lost in all the differentiations and attempts to focus the covering/reverse-covering analysis on each type of discrimination.Then, halfway-through, I learn he was only in law school in the 1990s.I've been practicing longer than that and he's the Harvard professor!(I realize that's a comment on me.)This guy has really carved out a self-referential niche for himself. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Asians In The U.S.    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Ethnic Studies - Asian American Studies    7. Gay lawyers    8. Gay rights    9. General    10. Japanese American lawyers    11. Lawyers & Judges    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Political    14. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    15. Practice Of Law    16. United States    17. Current Events / General   

Editorial Review

In the sixties, David Mixner became an activist in the civil rights and anti-war movements, then emerged in the seventies as an influential Washington insider. Unknown to his comrades, he was also a closet homosexual, so scared of exposure he let hardly anyone know his secret. With good reason: when he came out in 1977 he lost a lot of his political clout. Undeterred he marched on a new crusade--gay liberation. He returned to national prominence as a political activist when he led a hugely successful drive in the gay community to elect his long-time friend Bill Clinton. That relationship, which has been bittersweet through Clinton's presidency, is one of the fascinating sidelights in this memoir of a radical life. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Fascinating
In this day of the modern Gay Rights Movement, no biography captures the true story of someone moderately simple, becoming the voice of a fantastic mission with true, heartfelt passion for the equality of gays and lesbians.Full of pathos, life lessons, screw-ups, ironies and inspiration that truly reflects the dichotomy of living as an evolving gay man during the sexual revolution, Reagan-Era AIDS, and the Clinton Era of Inclusion against the backdrop of a hidden sex life.I was glad to know this story!

I really enjoyed and would reccomend this book
I must say, this was one of the best books I've read in a while. It was just fascinating. It starts out describing David's childhood, goes onto his time in college, his antiwar activism, his many struggles with his homosexuality, finally with his coming out and becoming a gay activist, and then to his time spent working on the Clinton campaign all the way up to Clinton's innaguration. It's a very readable book, it draws you in from the first few pages and really keeps you wanting to know what will happen next in David's very exciting activist life. Another thing that kept me reading was I was dying to find out when he would finally come out. It is easy to relate to David's pain and I was inspired to see what he did with that pain and to read about the many remarkable things he has done with this life. I finished this book in a little over a week and wished there was more. I loved learning more about the political and activist worlds while at the same time learning about him. If you have any interest in politics, activism, AIDS, or gay and lesbian issues, or just like a good memoir, read this book. You'll like it :)

good book kinda of long
it was a good book for the most part but it kinda of ran on and on i still have a copy of it around some where ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Gay activists    5. Gay rights    6. Mixner, David B    7. Political    8. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    9. Political Science    10. Presidents    11. Sociology - General    12. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    13. Staff    14. United States    15. Biography & Autobiography / Political   

Editorial Review

When Donna Minkowitz, a contributing writer to the Read more

Reviews (7)

FACTUALLY IN ERROR
This book has gross errors. The woman's organization to which the author refers, is not what she made it out to be at all. What she actually attended was a church. The church invited a woman's ministryfrom else where in the country to come in and, both speak to the woman who attend the church and to do a teaching that might benefit woman as they seek employment. One reviewer accepted the author's perverse depiction and reaction to this event and called what really was a church as "a kaffeeklatsch of Christian women." Factual errors lead to the spreading of misinformation. Provocative comparison of Religious Right and GLBT movements
Journalist Minkowitz goes undercover in different Religious Right groups (including the Promise Keepers and a Christian ladies' makeover seminar) and compares the desires she sees expressed in these groups to those she sees expressed among her own queer Left.She starts out seeing the Religious Right as enemies, and without changing her fundamental political views, she discovers that desires for connection, unconditional love, ecstasy, transcendence and transformation shape both of these opposing movements.A fascinating and interesting read!

Ferocious Romance What My Encounters With the Right Wing Tau
I'm a member of one of the churches mentioned in this book.I am both perplexed and bewildered at how a church with Democratic ministers and congregates who voted repeatedly for President Clinton, can beconsidered "Right Wing" as the title of Ms. Minkowitz book would suggest.Therefore, at the outset, I realized that factually this book had problems.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Christianity    5. Evangelicalism    6. Evangelistic work    7. Homosexuality    8. Lesbian Studies    9. Religious    10. Religious aspects    11. Specific Groups - Lesbians    12. United States    13. Women    14. Biography: general    15. Current Events / General    16. Minkowitz, Donna    17. Women's studies   

Editorial Review

Is there a "gay gene"? What if there is? And what does "gay" mean, anyway?Philosopher and queer studies instructor Edward Stein asks these questions and far more, delving deeply into our feelings about gender and sexuality in Read more

Reviews (12)

This is why "Queer Studies" makes me whince.
It's not that only fellow biomedical researchers are allowed to express an opinion on work such as Hammer and Levay's, but it's quite clear that Stein doesn't even understand the fundamentals of scientific reasoning and questioning. Paranoia under the guise of academia-even when accompanied by reviews that read "accessible to even you"-is a dangerous thing. The most groundbreaking work on the subject yet
I recommend this book to everyone I talk to. It's simply outstanding. Challenging and well done
THE MISMEASURE OF DESIRE is a scholarly work examining the current trends in research on the origins of sexual orientation and the ethics of using the information we glean from such research.Edward Stein, a professor of philosophy, tackles the complicated issues of what is homosexuality, how we study it and research it, and the underlying assumptions and desires of science and the public in the search for causes.His discussions and the parallels to gender and religious freedom are described clearly.You don't need a Ph.D. in philosophy to read this book!His emphasis on respect for differences and a call for being aware of the limits of our current knowledge are refreshing and hopeful.I especially liked his questioning our whole concept of "homosexuality" as a natural or social kind.Read more

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gender Studies    3. Human Sexuality    4. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    5. Psychology    6. Sociology    7. Philosophy | Social    8. Psychology & Psychiatry / Human Sexuality    9. Sexual behaviour    10. The self, ego, identity, personality   

Reviews (8)

Straightforward and fascinating
Of the books I've read on same-sex marriage this is the most straight-forward and readable. Written by the editorial page editor of the Rutland Herald (where he won a Pulitzer prize for his coverage of this issue) the book reads like a novel, filled with interesting characters and dramatic moments.
A Remarkable Journey
Just a short while ago, Vermont wrestled with an issue that's gripping our country in a maelstrom. The end result, as most of us know, was the formation of the controversial but important recognition of same-sex relationships called "civil unions". What most of us don't know is the inner workings of the Vermont government as it came to deal with this issue, and the ultimate political sacrifice that many people played in order to ensure equal rights for all of its citizens. David Moats, editor of the Rutland Herald, describes in detail, how that all transpired in his book "Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage". A superbly balanced account
Civil Wars is an exceedingly balanced book about the events creating the first civil union legislation for gays in the state of Vermont. Given, such a divisive subject, author David Moats does not interject his own views per se, except where his own experience adds color to the proceedings. Instead, he richly describes the history of the lawsuit that lead to the state Supreme Court decision, which placed the burden upon the legislature to remedy "the exclusion of same-sex couples from the secular benefits and protections offered married couples."Read more

Subjects:  1. Alternative Family    2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    3. Gay Studies    4. Gay couples    5. General    6. Law and legislation    7. Legal status, laws, etc    8. Legal status, laws, etc.    9. Political Freedom & Security - Civil Rights    10. Political Science    11. Politics/International Relations    12. Same-sex marriage    13. Sex Relations    14. Social Institutions    15. Sociology    16. Vermont    17. Current Events / American   

Reviews (1)

AFascinating Look at the Gay and Lesbian movement
This is one of those books that tells you more about yourself than you ever thought it could.This volume documents the history of the Gay and Lesbian movement from 1945-1990 in great detail.From the initial graspingat identity after WWII through the Mattachine Society and Stonewall, thisbook tells the story of our struggle for freedom.From the bashingsthroughout the decades to the loving way our community cared for those withAIDS, this book tells the story of our spirit.Making History invites youto meet the people who made us who we are today.An example?Thepsychologist - Dr. Evelyn Hooker - challenged by her gay friend and studentSammy to prove gay people were not ill.At first hesitant, she picked upthe gauntlet, but hadn't finished her groundbreaking research before Sammydied in a car accident in 1945.These are just two of the many people inthis book.You owe it to yourself to meet the others. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gay liberation movement    3. Gay rights    4. General    5. History    6. History - General History    7. Sociology    8. Sociology - General    9. United States    10. Gay & Lesbian studies    11. Human rights    12. Pollution & threats to the environment    13. USA    14. c 1945 to c 1960    15. c 1960 to c 1970    16. c 1970 to c 1980    17. c 1980 to c 1990   

Reviews (1)

Excellent appraisal of the Southern paradox
The 1950's South was both a time and a place of contradictions. On the one hand, there was a cultural revolution going on that fused both white and black musical tastes into one revolutionary music genre (rock 'n' roll) anda political revolution that went on (integration) which made the culturalachievements seem to pale in comparison. In essence, the South of the1950's was a confusing maelstrom of contradictory policies and failedopportunities for peaceful change.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-    2. 1951-    3. History    4. History - U.S.    5. History: American    6. Nineteen fifties    7. Social conditions    8. Southern States    9. United States - 20th Century    10. United States - 20th Century/50s    11. United States - State & Local - General    12. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    13. Black studies    14. Civil rights & citizenship    15. History / United States / 20th Century    16. Multicultural studies    17. U.S. Department of Agriculture policy; agribusiness; legal issues; chemicals; stock car racing; NASCAR; blues; gospel; rock 'n' roll; soul music; style; gay life; lesbian life; social life; civil rights; white segregationists; NAACP; Citizens Councils; local leaders; Little Rock; 1957; Central High School; SNCC    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. Administrative Law & Regulatory Practice    2. Great Britain    3. Law    4. Legal Reference / Law Profession    5. Legal status, laws, etc    6. Legal status, laws. etc    7. Legal status, laws. etc.    8. Political Freedom & Security - Human Rights    9. Political Science    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Sex and law    12. Transsexuals    13. English law: statutes & regulations    14. Gay & Lesbian studies    15. Human rights   

Editorial Review

Marriage, when it's right (and usually when it's wrong), is a subject that stirs strong feelings. Gay marriage inspires its own set of passions, with opponents decrying it as a step that will undermine the very fabric of society while supporters posit it as an inevitable next stage in step-by-step acceptance of homosexuality by mainstream America. Appearing as the issue heats ups following President George W. Bush's call for a constitutional amendment that would block the gathering tide of gay nuptials, this polemic by Read more

Reviews (20)

Enlightening and thought provoking
Having read two excellent books, A History of the Wife by Marilyn Yalom and Public Vows : A History of Marriage and the Nation by Nancy F. Cott I was interested in why anyone gay/lesbian or heterosexual would want anyone to be 'married'.
Equality, or Mutual Caring?
Rauch is a leading author and contributor to numerous magazines, including the prestigious "National Journal." He is often identified as a "libertarian" and less often as a "conservative." I consider Rauch to be one of the leading writers, gay or straight, in America today.
(...)
(...) Gay people should have rights too. You can't enforce a ban that takes away someone's rights.
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Subjects:  1. Civil rights    2. Family & Relationships    3. Family/Marriage    4. Gay Studies    5. Gender Studies    6. Government - Comparative    7. Marriage    8. Politics and government    9. Same-sex marriage    10. Social life and customs    11. Sociology - Marriage & Family    12. United States   

Reviews (4)

Lively social justice history
Growing up in the so-called 'post civil' rights era with intergrated schooling, myself and other 'white' liberals do not conciously realize what risks our own involvement with this social change entailed for all demographics.
I Must Respond
I write this review to praise Mab Segrest's brilliant, beautiful writing: stylistically lovely, deeply insightful, politically powerful.This book is a must read for anyone invested in US cultural politics from the perspective of a passionate activist and incredibly talented writer (and speaker -- I had the privilege of seeing Mab live and she's FABULOUS).

Disgusting and contemptible
This book showcases the filthy ravings of a truly degenerate "human being."Read it for insight into the mind of a truly depraved individual. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1949-    2. Biography    3. Civil rights movements    4. Civil rights workers    5. History & Theory - Radical Thought    6. Lesbians    7. North Carolina    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Race relations    10. Segrest, Mab,    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Southern States    14. Women's Studies - General    15. Ethnography    16. Gay & Lesbian studies    17. Social Science / Women's Studies   

Reviews (14)

expected more
I just finished Evan Wolfson's Why Marriage Matters, and although I am salivating at the thought of spending the rest of my night immersed in a tirade that focuses on what this book lacks, I will limit myself to describing one and only one glaring deficiency. Here it is. Come election time much of the hoopla surrounding gay marriage rights stems directly from those Christian conservatives that consider themselves among the moral elite. The self-described Christian "moral majority" is surprisingly effective at turning what is actually a civil rights and anti-discrimination issue into a moral issue. Because this is the nature of the one of the most powerful forces that is against us, if we are to put gay marriage rights on firm footing, the foundation must be a moral one. Granted, there is probably little hope for the hardcore dogmatists, but let's suppose they are all old and on the cusp of a trek through the pearly gates of heaven. Aside from those people, I am convinced that social conservatives can be convinced. Now, it would be nice if we could make all our very well-justified legal arguments in favor of gay marriage, be granted our legal rights, and be done with it. But, if we are going to gain any legal ground in conservative states, we must present damn good arguments that show three things: 1) one's sexual orientation is not a lifestyle choice, 2) same-sex sex is not morally wrong, and 3) same-sex marriage is not morally wrong. Wolfson doesn't do either in Why Marriage Matters. I was hoping he would give a point-by-point rebuttal of all the arguments from moral depravity that are flung like mud on groups of people who express a non-heteronormative sexualty, but I was disappointed. Maybe someday soon somebody will do us this service. But enough of that. On a positive note, Wolfson's book was easy to read. On another positive note, he drew strong analogies between the civil rights movement of the 50s and 60s and the gay rights movement of the last two decades. One thing that becomes apparrent as we consider the parallels between these two movements is how badly the gay civil rights movement needs a leader like the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Good primer on the next major civil rights issue
Do gays have the right to marry?This is emerging as the next civil rights issue to cross the American political scene.Attorney Evan Wolfson answers this question with a resounding yes, and uses this book to back up his answer.His central point is that marriage is a relationship, and being in it can and does bring joy to gay couples just as much as it does to heterosexual couples.And since the Declaration of Independence states that all humans have the right to the pursuit of happiness, government should not prevent two individuals from getting married.The author also examines other issues regarding gay marriage, such as child adoption, insurance benefits, gay divorces, inheritance rights, etc...The author also takes on arguments against gay marriage, and refutes them using historical and legal arguments.All in all, a good book to help understand the current, and growing issue of gay marriage.

The best book there is on why marriage is for ALL Americans
Evan Wolfson's book turned me into a believer. Even after seven years of sharing my life with the man I want to spend the rest of my life with, I still didn't think it mattered whether we were married or not. "Why Marriage Matters" changed that -- we had to fly to Canada to get married, but we did what we had to do, and now I've found that marriage has made every facet of our relationship stronger and better. Read this book and you'll begin to see that marriage does matter, and that, frankly, it is un-American to deny any segment of the population basic human rights and priveleges that the United States was created to protect for all its citizens. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gender Studies    3. Homosexuality    4. Political And Civil Rights    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. Sociology - Marriage & Family    8. Law / Civil Rights   

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gender Studies    3. Globalization    4. Homosexuality    5. Human rights    6. Political Freedom & Security - Human Rights    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Gay & Lesbian studies    10. Social Science / Gay Studies   

Reviews (1)

Excellent work, essential reading for anyone looking for a rough guide to gay history.
This is an excellent collection of first-person narratives of gay life in America from 1945 to the present. The people interviewed cover everything from the Mattachine society to PFLAG to the GSA movement. Extremely useful for getting a broad look at the LGBT rights movement in America.
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Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gay liberation movement    3. Gay men    4. Gay rights    5. History    6. History: World    7. Modern - 20th Century    8. Social Science    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - General    11. United States    12. United States - 20th Century    13. Social Science / Gay Studies   

Subjects:  1. Cases    2. Civil Procedure    3. Civil rights    4. Gay Studies    5. Gay men    6. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    7. Homosexuality    8. Law and legislation    9. Lesbian Studies    10. Lesbians    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. United States    14. Gay & Lesbian studies    15. Jurisprudence & General Issues   

Reviews (3)

My premonitions are bound to change - to the better
I've only read the first two chapters and already it's like someone's been eavesdropping on me and my girlfriend since we met 9 months ago. Our oppositional attitudes caused every crisis in the book, but we still wanted to find a way 'in'; quote: '...true-love relationships are too precious too neglect or just drop all together'. So we tried to understand each other, asked friends and family for advice. Then, I consulted the stars for more enlightenment. I (RB) am Pisces - she (LB) is Aries... The book "Sexual Astrology: A Sign-by-Sign Guide to Your Sensual Stars" helped me understand her better, but not "how" I could cope with the situation. Now this book is somewhat my last resort. So let me finish the next chapters and keep your fingers crossed that the encouragement to not give up will gain momentum; or I'll be a no-brainer (NB).
The Only Relationship Book That Makes Any Sense!
I have read many, many books on relationships and how to make them work. I think the No. 1 problem in relationships is the basic differences between men and women. And that difference is the Right/Left Brain theory inaction. This is the only book out there that says it like it really is, andalso attributes the problems to the left brain/right brain difference. It'salso very well written and easy to understand, with lots of practicalsuggestions for dealing with these differences. Also, she makes the pointthat it's not always the man with the left brain, and the woman with theright brain. It can be the other way around. And that's a point I've neverseen made anywhere else. This book has probably saved countlessrelationships, including my own!

A wealth of practical, insightful information!
I thought this book contained a wealth of information applicable to all types of relationships. Rebecca Cutter did an outstanding job of presenting her research and experiences in a very readable format. Definitely"food for thought" material. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cerebral dominance    2. Gay couples    3. Man-woman relationships    4. Self-Help   

Subjects:  1. Gay Studies    2. Gay rights    3. Gays    4. Gender Studies    5. Homosexuality    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. United States    9. Gay & Lesbian studies    10. USA   

Subjects:  1. Family & Relationships    2. Family / Parenting / Childbirth    3. Family/Marriage    4. Lesbian Studies    5. Parenting - Parent & Adult Child    6. Social Science / Lesbian Studies