The Navigators

by Jackson Peoples-Rosenblatt

From the infamous pink triangles worn by gay prisoners in the death camps of the Holocaust to the fires of the Stonewall Riots; from the gilded closets of Hollywood to the assassination of Harvey Milk, AIDS, and the struggle for marriage equality: seven decades of gay history come to life through the experiences of a former Luftwaffe pilot imprisoned at Bergen-Belsen for his sexuality, his orphaned American nephew, and the family they create in San Francisco. Sweeping in scope yet intimate in focus, THE NAVIGATORS tells the story of how the lives of everyday individuals become the raw materials of history. "Peoples-Rosenblatt uses his novel to skew a greater Western history to include the gay minority. Although not a text for college classes, this novel is written for both history buffs and gay literature enthusiasts to enjoy," Kitty Drexel, edgenewyork.com. "A brilliant and beautiful book that lets us see history for what it is--the backdrop that shapes both peoples' characters and their lives." Angel Curtis, OutSmart Magazine.

448 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2012

Reviews

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, I loved it. It's a tour-de-force: gay history felt rather than narrated. Had it been around, it would have made the perfect inclusion my high-school required summer reading list. Each summer I dreaded having to read them, and each summer I came away with a half-dozen new books to cherish and re-read. Only this one reflects a slice of reality I know rather better than 19th Century England or Russia. Nice to have that reality treated as epic for a change. It has all the makings of a first-class comfort read.

One word of readerly advice: There are four chapters set in 2008 San Francisco. In them we're introduced, by way of little vignettes, to about forty characters in rapid succession. Very like being introduced to every single guest at a large cocktail party all at once, it's enough to boggle the mind. So if you're tempted to make notes of who they are and how they're connected, by all means succumb to the urge. It will serve you well. The author is building a universe. (I'm tempted to say these chapters are the Big Bang of his universe.) Nothing in these chapters is accidental, and it's not repeated for your benefit. If you continue to read in this series, you'll encounter these folks again, and you'll rob yourself of some great "ah, ha!" moments if you blast past their introductions.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very complicated book that is told by many many MC's. Each have a story . From Hitler's concentration camps to San Francisco as a gay mecca at the end of the last century. All seems to culminate in a couple of weddings that bring all the characters together.

I plan on rereading and think it will be clearer to me. Some historical books I have read included genealogy/relationship charts...this book would definitely benefit with one.

As a gay American I had a very mixed attraction/repulsion towards one of the main MC's. His story starts as the youngest male child of a proud German military family at the start of WWII. He is attracted to a slightly older famous actor who takes him under his wing and into his bed. There is a period of time where he is in the Luftwaffe shooting down US and UK planes (the hard part to take) and then he is imprisoned for being gay and goes to a concentration camp. This is the most detailed account of a gay man in a concentration camp I have ever read. Quite moving and depressing. He obviously survives to an old age in San Francisco. Quite an amazing journey the author has created.

I also look forward to reading more of Jackson Peoples-Rosenblatt's works.