I disagree with the publisher's decision to use the phrase "same-sex marriage" in the sales copy. It's not about the sex organs of the people involved. It's about the equality of access to the benefits of the legal state of marriage to all people who wish to avail themselves of it.

If marriage is a cornerstone of a properly functioning society, then what is the justification for denying access to it to the people who wish to engage in it? If your church doesn't choose to solemnize or recognize marriages between people of different faiths, or skin colors, or the same sex, no one can force you to do so. It's against the law that separates church from state.

Your personal fantasyland has no place in the county clerk's office where marriage licenses are issued.

If that's not how you see it, you're wrong.

This book's almost a thousand pages and there's a LOT to learn in here...the role of activists in changing the public conversation is delightfully thoroughgoing...and there's a lot of good reasons to learn it. What gives me pause is the sheer heft of the tome! I very definitely have a dog in this fight and it was still a serious commitment that I took a long time to fulfill. As the current Supreme Court has shown us, there is no such thing as established law when the scum of the Earth want to resist things changing in ways they're not comfortable with.

Might be time to get your eyes around this well-written and thoroughly sourced and closely argued tale of how Justice was finally served.

This book is an extensive - one might say magisterial - exploration of the hidden history behind the success of the gay rights movement, culminating in the Obergefell decision. It is not for the casual reader, but for someone deeply invested in the twists and turns. (I started to skip around in the second half precisely for that reason.) But the author's level of investment is unquestionable.

If you want a comprehensive book about the LGBTQ community history, social and political issues and why it matters to be understanding, this is it! Yes, this is very long but it is worth it if you want to understand. The people against the LGBTQ community need to realize they are people too and deserve the same rights and respect, just as anyone else. I am not of the community BUT I have many friends who are and I do not see them any differently, it is someone who is still a friend.

This book will definitely make you reconsider your thoughts on the subject and to show compassion and understanding. It is what you want, right?

Highly recommended but it is a hefty read (900+ pages) and strong subject matter but worth it.

Thanks to Netgalley, Sasha Issenberg and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 6/1/21

Despite the huge page count (900 pages), this Impeccably researched history of the fight for LGBTQ marriage equality is a totally riveting and invaluable piece of investigative journalism. Will review in full next May

This book offers a complete history of the movement to legalize gay marriage in the United States, from the 1970s to the Supreme Court in 2015. This is a very, very detailed and well-researched history, Issenberg is an excellent historian and provided many direct sources throughout. I would highly recommend this book if you're looking to understand how social and political revolution changed the course of history around this issue.