Great account of history in this book. Definitely learned a lot and would read more from this author in the future

This book was very wonderful! It did something that so many non-fiction queer books don't do. It actually talked about and recognized the contributions of people of color and primarily within that Black people. It's also incrediblt well written and engaging.

4 stars. Lots of great scholarship and work went into this book.

The book didn't get 5 stars from me for three main reasons. First, it was sometimes a bit too academic, although I recognize that it's meant to be a corrective to the invisibility, past and present, of queer communities in Newark, and by extension, other places, and the writers and contributors do succeed in making us care about our queer ancestors. The one other minus is that the copy editing and proofreading that should have been manifest in an academic work were lacking. (I don't have my notes with me, but I'm happy to find them if anyone wants.) Lastly, I felt that if a book is about a specific city and its many past and present queer landmarks, maps and diagrams should have been provided, but they sadly are missing from the book. At first I thought this was because I had received an e-book ARC. However, the print version confirms that the editor/publisher did not include something that could have been so valuable, both to the casual reader and the more committed researcher.

Many thanks to NetGalley and to the publisher for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.

Queer Newark
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book is really fascinating. I so often see queer history presented only in terms of big cities, like New York, San Francisco, or Chicago. I really enjoyed this in depth look into the queer history and politics of Newark, New Jersey, which lacks the PR of those other places. This book really looks into the intersections of race and class and queer identity. This book is very academic and a little complex, but it is not totally inaccessible. The organization makes it very clear and easy to follow, even for those who aren’t trained historians or history buffs. I really enjoyed this book, and I highly recommend it.