Interesting, but not what I expected from a book calling itself the "definitive story". Lots of time spent on the personal histories of the members of the movement the author chose to profile, which might have been more welcome if the writing style wasn't so twee. Got to be much better resources out there about the riots themselves; this one works better as a companion source.

I picked this up because I know I have a big gap in my knowledge about LQBTQ+ history, and I really liked how Duberman told the story. Through six different perspectives, we learn about the various leaders, movements, and organizations that rose up before the Stonewall riots and how they shaped everything that came after. It was a lot of information, and I admit I often had to go back because there were so many names to keep straight, but it was really interesting to follow six different lives before and after Stonewall.

4.5

A good account of the modern gay rights movement and gay life in America during the 60s and early 70s.

Duberman includes biographies for six influential leaders for gay, lesbian and trans leaders in the community: Craig Rodwell, Yvonne Flowers, Karla Jay, Forest Gunnison, Sylvia Rivera, and Jim Fouratt.

This book is meticulously researched, as are all of Duberman's books. He holds a Ph.D in American history from Harvard and has written over 30 books. This book draws on archival research of the homophile movement in the 50s and 60s before moving to an overview of the gay organizations that were created after the Stonewall Rebellion. Throughout his book, he writes about his subjects and their lives, while highlighting details from the Stonewall Riot and details about everyday life for LGBT people at the time.

The Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, was raided at 1am on June 28, 1969. The raids happened frequently, but on this day, patrons of the Stonewall Inn fought back. The riot lasted for five days and it changed the face of lesbian and gay life in America forever. Although Stonewall is thought to be the event that started the modern Gay Rights movement, this book reveals that there was far more going on and that it was not the beginning of the modern Gay Rights movement in America.

I enjoyed the stories for each individual although I found the manner in which Duberman laid his book out for each person was hard to follow. He switches perspectives too often and it is confusing for the first half of the book. I also felt that there was a slight bias towards gay males over the other individuals in this book.

The descriptions of the arguments over whether the LGBT movement should join other major civil rights movements like the Black Panthers also made for an interesting read.

The name of this book is a little misleading, by the way. 90% of this book is focused on LGBT movements at the time with only 10% dedicated to the actual riot. That said, an informative read!

Really comprehensive look at 6 influential individuals and their journey to establishing the Gay Pride Parades we've grown to love and expect each year.

Disappointing. The early days of the gay rights movement are understandably difficult to research due to their lack of coordination, but the disorder, miscommunication, and intrigue spill over into Duberman's writing. Despite the impressive amount of research, the writing is often speculative and gossipy. If he has so many facts, why stoop so low as silly rumors, such as the baseless assertion that Jim Fouratt slept with Jim Morrison, or that drugs addled Marsha P. Johnson's brain? I laughed out loud at the phrase "Perhaps that was exactly..." which is akin to saying "Theres a 60% chance that it's already raining." And the sentence: "'An omen, an omen! She's on our side!' was the nervous chorus in a thousand apartments across the city," can have no root in fact at all. Who is "she"? What thousands? The only value I can see in this book is its reflection of gay attitudes toward history during Martin Duberman's day, 1993. More of a gossip rag than a history. Disappointing.