I just learned about this incredible LGBTQ+ pioneer at a new exhibit here in Chicago at the Wrightwood Gallery called "The Last Homosexuals." At the end of the exhibit they have a bust of him as well as photos of book -burning by the Nazi's. Little did we know that all the notorious photos of book burning was of books and archives from his institute! He was one of the first to study gender identity, trans identity and non-binary identity as well as sexual orientation. He heavily influenced many other great thinkers such as Alfred Kinsey, etc. He created his own scale - a "Hirschfield Scale" and after visiting the US for the Chicago Columbian Exposition, noticed the code of silence around race and sex and interacted with Frederick Douglass and Frank Boas who cautioned against racial essentialism which leads to eugenics. He published research based in science and petitioned against Paragraph 175 that criminalized gay men and trans people. He was one of the first thinkers to write that being LGBTQ+ is inborn (unlike his contemporary, Freud's theory). He wrote that the source of problem is not that people are LGBTQ+ and if they are depressed or anxious it is not because of that but rather how society treats them and is hostile to them. His institute thrived during the Weimar period and he wrote pamphlets and books to share his research. He published under a pseudonym at the advice of his publisher, but later came out when he became politically active. Unfortunately much of his research was destroyed by the Nazi's who used Paragraph 175 and their hate to send LGBTQ+ to concentration camps. As we see some of the same destruction and hate targeted toward the LGBTQ+ currently - this book needs to be widely read to help ground us in important research and history and combat the myths about gender identity and sexuality.

This book is an absolute must read!!
Thank you to Netgalley and W. W. Norton & Company for an ARC and I voluntarily left this review.

This book felt devoid of personality. Daniel Brook does little to bring 'the Einstein of Sex' to life, which in itself, is a bit of a silly title and comparison. While I understand that it can grab the average person's interest, it does little to build up the narrative. We are in a moment where Magnus Hirschfeld feels more important than ever yet Brook dallies on unimportant details about the man's life. It felt like an outdated biography that wishes to go in depth in the sense of Ron Chernow yet provides little analysis in the way his books do. Whenever I stopped reading the book, I'd forget about it then didn't ever want to go back.

'The Einstein of Sex' brings Magnus Hirschfeld to the present in a time when his story is needed most. Daniel Brook is able to bring Hirschfeld's work, his triumphs and tragedies, and his advocacy to life. It is not just a recitation of facts but rather an in-depth and emotional account of how Hirschfeld lived, studied, fought, and survived in turbulent times.
Magnus Hirschfeld was a sexologist and early LGBTQ+ advocate. His work as an early gay rights activist was not only influenced by his identification as a gay man but also encounters he had with others who identified as LGBTQ+. Hirschfeld worked to decriminalize homosexuality in Germany and across the globe. His work, his identification as a gay man, and as a Jew made him a target for the Nazis. His institute was raided and his books burned by the Nazis. However, in exile he continued to fight for equality.
'The Einstein of Sex' brings the hope of the past to the present. Brook is able to inform and through a well written account emphasize the importance of Hirschfeld's work and passion to bring about equality. It brings those who have been pushed to the shadows to light. 'The Einstein of Sex' is a refreshing and pivotal account in non-fiction for today's readers.

Both a biography of Dr. Hirschfeld and a well-argued plea that he was right for the very reason he had a target on his back. Due to his historical significance, the book goes more into political history than your average biography, and it is very well done narratively. The comparisons to Einstein seemed a little cheesy to me, but in a go-off-king kinda way :Þ