GAY NEW YORK Gender, Urban Culture, and the Making of the Gay Male World, 1890-1940

George Chauncey's seminal history of gay male culture in New York City from 1890-1940, originally published on the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, makes its audiobook debut. Narrator Graham Halstead's well-modulated performance is a perfect fit for Chauncey's accessible scholarship. Misconceptions regarding the character of pre-WWII gay identity and community are dispelled, revealing social complexities and internal dynamics. Listeners traverse 1890s resorts, Harlem drag balls, and the Greenwich Village club scene, as well as street life and residences. Individual remembrances are denoted by Halstead through a slight change in pitch and energy. Chauncey contextualizes the evolution of social mores through multiple lenses, including race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and gender. This solid production is accompanied by a pdf identifying referenced material. J.R.T. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2019]