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The Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History
On the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary, the most important moment in LGBTQ history―depicted by the people who influenced, recorded, and reacted to it.
June 28, 1969, Greenwich Village: The New York City Police Department, fueled by bigoted liquor licensing practices and an omnipresent backdrop of homophobia and transphobia, raided the Stonewall Inn, a neighborhood gay bar, in the middle of the night. The raid was met with a series of responses that would go down in history as the most galvanizing period in this country's fight for sexual and gender liberation: a riotous reaction from the bar's patrons and surrounding community, followed by six days of protests.
Across 200 documents, Marc Stein presents a unique record of the lessons and legacies of Stonewall. Drawing from sources that include mainstream, alternative, and LGBTQ media, gay-bar guide listings, state court decisions, political fliers, first-person accounts, song lyrics, and photographs, Stein paints an indelible portrait of this pivotal moment in the LGBT movement. In The Stonewall Riots , Stein does not construct a neatly quilted, streamlined narrative of Greenwich Village, its people, and its protests; instead, he allows multiple truths to find their voices and speak to one another, much like the conversations you'd expect to overhear in your neighborhood bar.
Published on the fiftieth anniversary of the moment the first brick (or shot glass?) was thrown, The Stonewall Riots allows readers to take stock of how LGBTQ life has changed in the US, and how it has stayed the same. It offers campy stories of queer resistance, courageous accounts of movements and protests, powerful narratives of police repression, and lesser-known stories otherwise buried in the historical record, from an account of ball culture in the mid-sixties to a letter by Black Panther Huey P. Newton addressed to his brothers and sisters in the resistance. For anyone committed to political activism and social justice, The Stonewall Riots provides a much-needed resource for renewal and empowerment.
June 28, 1969, Greenwich Village: The New York City Police Department, fueled by bigoted liquor licensing practices and an omnipresent backdrop of homophobia and transphobia, raided the Stonewall Inn, a neighborhood gay bar, in the middle of the night. The raid was met with a series of responses that would go down in history as the most galvanizing period in this country's fight for sexual and gender liberation: a riotous reaction from the bar's patrons and surrounding community, followed by six days of protests.
Across 200 documents, Marc Stein presents a unique record of the lessons and legacies of Stonewall. Drawing from sources that include mainstream, alternative, and LGBTQ media, gay-bar guide listings, state court decisions, political fliers, first-person accounts, song lyrics, and photographs, Stein paints an indelible portrait of this pivotal moment in the LGBT movement. In The Stonewall Riots , Stein does not construct a neatly quilted, streamlined narrative of Greenwich Village, its people, and its protests; instead, he allows multiple truths to find their voices and speak to one another, much like the conversations you'd expect to overhear in your neighborhood bar.
Published on the fiftieth anniversary of the moment the first brick (or shot glass?) was thrown, The Stonewall Riots allows readers to take stock of how LGBTQ life has changed in the US, and how it has stayed the same. It offers campy stories of queer resistance, courageous accounts of movements and protests, powerful narratives of police repression, and lesser-known stories otherwise buried in the historical record, from an account of ball culture in the mid-sixties to a letter by Black Panther Huey P. Newton addressed to his brothers and sisters in the resistance. For anyone committed to political activism and social justice, The Stonewall Riots provides a much-needed resource for renewal and empowerment.
352 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 19, 2021
This book is less for narrative-seekers and more for those who want a more independent approach to learning about the Stonewall Riots (basically, imagine if you were using this for school but without a professor to guide your learning). I think it’s set up this way to encourage readers to read about the experiences and conversations of those involved and think critically instead of just being told it. It is very well-researched with extensive sources and rich context for before, during, and after.
The first essay reminds readers that credit will always be due to various people of color, specifically trans women of color, who were on the forefront of the resistance movements and whose legacies have been often overshadowed and appropriated by white middle class liberal men whose approaches were considered ‘respectable’. Many of the other bar patrons involved in this uprising were comprised of homeless LGBTQ teens, lesbians, and drag queens.
There are articles and original documents that the author compiled and sorted chronologically, from about 1965 leading up to the night of the event in 1969 and then what was inspired in the years afterward up to 1973. There is a letter by Huey P. Newton in it addressed to those resisting that I thought was a great inclusion, as well as photographs, scans of flyers and other media. From what I understand there is no video footage or media of the actual first night of the rebellion. The articles cover topics such as LGBTQ liberation, rights, activists, policing of queer individuals, and protests that had taken place in the years before Stonewall. There are even some repeat articles by different authors that offer different perspectives on the same events.
The Stonewall Rebellion didn’t necessarily “start” the Liberation Movement, but it granted visibility to the fight that had been fought for years; the framework for change was laid out long before 6/28/69, but that evening was maybe one of the most significant catalysts to get people to stand up for themselves and get oppressors to back down. I personally enjoyed this, but I wouldn’t recommend as your first read to acquaint you with what happened since it is a very, very information-dense book.
The first essay reminds readers that credit will always be due to various people of color, specifically trans women of color, who were on the forefront of the resistance movements and whose legacies have been often overshadowed and appropriated by white middle class liberal men whose approaches were considered ‘respectable’. Many of the other bar patrons involved in this uprising were comprised of homeless LGBTQ teens, lesbians, and drag queens.
There are articles and original documents that the author compiled and sorted chronologically, from about 1965 leading up to the night of the event in 1969 and then what was inspired in the years afterward up to 1973. There is a letter by Huey P. Newton in it addressed to those resisting that I thought was a great inclusion, as well as photographs, scans of flyers and other media. From what I understand there is no video footage or media of the actual first night of the rebellion. The articles cover topics such as LGBTQ liberation, rights, activists, policing of queer individuals, and protests that had taken place in the years before Stonewall. There are even some repeat articles by different authors that offer different perspectives on the same events.
The Stonewall Rebellion didn’t necessarily “start” the Liberation Movement, but it granted visibility to the fight that had been fought for years; the framework for change was laid out long before 6/28/69, but that evening was maybe one of the most significant catalysts to get people to stand up for themselves and get oppressors to back down. I personally enjoyed this, but I wouldn’t recommend as your first read to acquaint you with what happened since it is a very, very information-dense book.
February 15, 2019
Thorough ~ Well-Researched ~ Essential
tl; dr: One of the best books I've read about Stonewall
At the precipice of the 50th anniversary, American is both incredibly different from the culture of the 60s and sadly very similar. Stein creates a well-written book, balancing academic research with easy-to-read text. His premise is to lay out the evidence to allow the readers to make their decisions. I appreciate this approach because so much of our culture is based on siloed knowledge. In the end, I found myself with a deeper understanding of Stonewall, as not just the first moment of revolution, but situated in a transforming society. Stein's book is the best book of Stonewall that I have read.
tl; dr: One of the best books I've read about Stonewall
At the precipice of the 50th anniversary, American is both incredibly different from the culture of the 60s and sadly very similar. Stein creates a well-written book, balancing academic research with easy-to-read text. His premise is to lay out the evidence to allow the readers to make their decisions. I appreciate this approach because so much of our culture is based on siloed knowledge. In the end, I found myself with a deeper understanding of Stonewall, as not just the first moment of revolution, but situated in a transforming society. Stein's book is the best book of Stonewall that I have read.
June 19, 2019
Marc Stein establishes the historical context in which the Stonewall riots occurred through this well-assembled collection of primary sources, and the voices behind these documents reflect the building momentum for that catalyst event in June 1969 which became the shot heard around the world for the LGBTQ revolution. The underlying conditions were all in place for that inevitable moment. The Stonewall riots were as much a protest against Mafia bars as against police harassment, and Professor Stein includes pre-1969 documents in which pioneering activists complain about the Mafia's control of gay bars in collaboration with dirty cops from the NYPD. I have never seen such an all-encompassing collection of primary sources by which to explain the Stonewall riots and its times, and the collection imparts the immediacy of that moment which often is lost in accounts by more traditionally-narrated histories. It's a stunning, impactful book.
May 7, 2019
This was a very enlightening, eye-opening read. This is the first time I’ve read a book like this where the reader has access to such a wealth of information from original documents. It’s really great to be able to read source documents yourself and form your own conclusions. It was very fascinating and at times quite shocking material, especially the instances of police brutality and corruption. The eye-witness accounts give us a unique glimpse into the way people thought and lived back then.
I would recommend you read this in addition to other works about the Stonewall Riots, because a more profound prior knowledge will help the reader in placing all the documents and points of view that you come across in this book.
I would recommend you read this in addition to other works about the Stonewall Riots, because a more profound prior knowledge will help the reader in placing all the documents and points of view that you come across in this book.
May 21, 2019
Amassing a cornucopia of primary sources (many of which have never been published outside their original sources), Marc Stein’s Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History provides the LGBTQIA scholar and student alike with fresh and historical glimpses into the Stonewall Riots and into the social milieu leading up to and following this pivotal moment in queer activist history. Drawing on over two hundred sources as wide-ranging as the "Los Angeles Advocate" and "The Lesbian Tide" to more obscure publications like court documents, The Mattachine Society and The Daughters of Bilitis newsletters, Stein’s vision for this Documentary History is to “promote new interpretations, innovative analyses and original explorations by everyone who examines these materials” while also filling vast lacunae in teaching and researching Stonewall with primary source materials.
Organized in three sections divided as (1) The Pre-Stonewall Years [1965-1969], (2) Stonewall, and (3) The Post-Stonewall Era [1969-1973], Stonewall Riots delves into non-fiction resources, and at that, almost exclusively into LGBTQIA publications (excepting the occasional article from geographically pertinent sources like The Village Voice or The New York Times). The archives unearthed come from San Francisco and D.C. in addition to the four largest urban areas in the United States between the mid-1960s and 1973, the height of the Gay Liberation Movement. Various chapter topics include gay bars and policing, political protests before Stonewall, pride marches and parades following the riots, and critical chapters that offer insights into direct actions and activist agendas both pre- and post-Stonewall. In short, Stein aims to make available resources that ordinarily would prove difficult for the average researcher to track down while also inviting comparison and analysis of important topics related to the riots. Although the sources are necessarily edited for length, the collection Stein stockpiles here leaves no stone unturned when it comes to offering a more comprehensive look at the context and events of Stonewall, weighing issues of race, class, sex, politics, and access in determining what made the volume’s final cut.
Stonewall Riots is prefaced with a thorough introductory historiographical essay written by Stein, and this contribution in addition to the outstanding appendix and research documentation alone make the volume indispensable for researchers and activists serious about LGBTQIA history. Besides inquiring as to the reasons why and where the Stonewall Riots took place, a defining argument of the opening essay cautiously stresses that a passel of original documents will not necessarily lead to historical certainties about Stonewall. Nevertheless, Stein contends, the study of multiple sources like those included in this work does importantly permit the researcher to make justifiable interpretations and reasonable assumptions from context about the meanings and outcomes of events related to Stonewall. Indeed, one of the most fruitful accomplishments of the book’s introductory essay in addition to its lucidity is in identifying as contingent and co-incidental important ideas and events that build toward and emerge following the riots.
Instead of indiscriminately attributing the origins of the Gay Liberation Movement to the Stonewall Riots, Stein lays out the case for multiple frameworks to alternatively explain the movement’s pinnacle and visibility through the riots. He particularly pays attention to cultural, racial, and class distinctions within the queer communities of the 1960s, amply documenting the “respectable” and “sexual” arms of the movement(s). Furthermore, Stein gives full attention to historical continuities linked to the movement over the attractive and often mythical discontinuities that credit Stonewall alone with significant social change. Among the historical frameworks discussed that look beyond Stonewall for the origins of the movement are:
(1) The culmination of two decades of LGBTQIA resistance from the early 1950s to the late 1960s encompassing over thirty protests involving various Mattachine groups, the Janus Society, the Homosexual Law Reform Society, and the Daughters of Bilitis among others.
(2) The effect of a tradition of bar-based resistance exemplified through consumer culture and African-American resistance to the history of prohibition to the fact that early queer bars often emerged from and collaborated with organized crime.
(3) Contextualizing the movement within the broader political and radical social justice movements occurring around the same time as the Gay Liberation Movement, and
(4) The fact of national political disillusionment (Nixon’s election) and the worsening of overall social conditions for LGBTQIA communities at the whim of local authorities bent on securing re-election through “law and order” platforms that involved cracking down on queers.
Other concerns addressed in the opening essay include who has the right to lay claim to the Stonewall Riots as a part of their history; who and why certain groups have claimed the riots as part of their own; and the importance of affirming and addressing the roles people of color played in the riots and in early LGBTQIA activism.
Although the documents included in Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History do not go beyond 1973, they can (and do) assist in developing a more accurate and complicated snapshot of the facts and conceivable effects of Stonewall. In reading through this volume, one of the things that consistently struck me as extraordinary was that despite all the incredible divisions among the LGBT community of the time (white middle class men leading most large liberal groups, lesbians merely serving as “tokens” for otherwise male-driven organizations, street kids and hustlers feeling lesser than and left out of the movement, and many wanting a “respectability” vs. a freedom of sexual expression, while some still pondered the suitability of non-violence), action still remained possible. This message ought to especially bring hope to those of today’s generation.
The readings Stein chooses do not paper over the queer community’s blemishes in their representation; they even remind us that queers weren’t without their own wince-worthy ignorance. While inwardly reacting against various appeals in several articles demanding gays be less “campy” and “out of hand” while in public, I particularly became aware of the sensibilities of the times in which we live. I literally gasped out loud when reading a 1965 transvestite account wherein Susanna Valenti laments that “women have all the breaks [and asks] how many times has a woman solved an important problem just by putting on a good cry?” Valenti even voices that she has “a sneaking suspicion that it’s woman who has invented today’s Masculine Role.” It’s not without surprise, therefore, that we learn that some held that there would never be “unity of organization.”
Manifestos as well as court documents round out the readings Stein selects, and for those interested in the recent utopic turn in queer theory, there isn’t a shortage of evidence to attest to its practice early on in the Gay Liberation Movement. Anti-relationality, it appears, was a value the movement fought for, not one it succeeded with.
To sum up, Stein contextualizes this work quite well, and very useful tips for further sources are provided in the book’s appendix and endnotes; and while I have not yet visited it, readers and educators should take notice that the work will be complemented with an extensive online research guide. I find it especially useful to add here that In taking up Stonewall Riots, I am aware above all that this anthology is not meant simply to re-present History (with a capital “H”). To the contrary, it is meant to inspire. A particularly unique feature of Stonewall Riots among activist histories is its inclusion of chapters on the understudied dimension of direct actions, events that were “creative and dramatic” and, as Stein adds, these (among the several contributions between Stonewall Riot’s covers) “may prove useful for those searching for ideas and inspirations in new political struggles.”
Organized in three sections divided as (1) The Pre-Stonewall Years [1965-1969], (2) Stonewall, and (3) The Post-Stonewall Era [1969-1973], Stonewall Riots delves into non-fiction resources, and at that, almost exclusively into LGBTQIA publications (excepting the occasional article from geographically pertinent sources like The Village Voice or The New York Times). The archives unearthed come from San Francisco and D.C. in addition to the four largest urban areas in the United States between the mid-1960s and 1973, the height of the Gay Liberation Movement. Various chapter topics include gay bars and policing, political protests before Stonewall, pride marches and parades following the riots, and critical chapters that offer insights into direct actions and activist agendas both pre- and post-Stonewall. In short, Stein aims to make available resources that ordinarily would prove difficult for the average researcher to track down while also inviting comparison and analysis of important topics related to the riots. Although the sources are necessarily edited for length, the collection Stein stockpiles here leaves no stone unturned when it comes to offering a more comprehensive look at the context and events of Stonewall, weighing issues of race, class, sex, politics, and access in determining what made the volume’s final cut.
Stonewall Riots is prefaced with a thorough introductory historiographical essay written by Stein, and this contribution in addition to the outstanding appendix and research documentation alone make the volume indispensable for researchers and activists serious about LGBTQIA history. Besides inquiring as to the reasons why and where the Stonewall Riots took place, a defining argument of the opening essay cautiously stresses that a passel of original documents will not necessarily lead to historical certainties about Stonewall. Nevertheless, Stein contends, the study of multiple sources like those included in this work does importantly permit the researcher to make justifiable interpretations and reasonable assumptions from context about the meanings and outcomes of events related to Stonewall. Indeed, one of the most fruitful accomplishments of the book’s introductory essay in addition to its lucidity is in identifying as contingent and co-incidental important ideas and events that build toward and emerge following the riots.
Instead of indiscriminately attributing the origins of the Gay Liberation Movement to the Stonewall Riots, Stein lays out the case for multiple frameworks to alternatively explain the movement’s pinnacle and visibility through the riots. He particularly pays attention to cultural, racial, and class distinctions within the queer communities of the 1960s, amply documenting the “respectable” and “sexual” arms of the movement(s). Furthermore, Stein gives full attention to historical continuities linked to the movement over the attractive and often mythical discontinuities that credit Stonewall alone with significant social change. Among the historical frameworks discussed that look beyond Stonewall for the origins of the movement are:
(1) The culmination of two decades of LGBTQIA resistance from the early 1950s to the late 1960s encompassing over thirty protests involving various Mattachine groups, the Janus Society, the Homosexual Law Reform Society, and the Daughters of Bilitis among others.
(2) The effect of a tradition of bar-based resistance exemplified through consumer culture and African-American resistance to the history of prohibition to the fact that early queer bars often emerged from and collaborated with organized crime.
(3) Contextualizing the movement within the broader political and radical social justice movements occurring around the same time as the Gay Liberation Movement, and
(4) The fact of national political disillusionment (Nixon’s election) and the worsening of overall social conditions for LGBTQIA communities at the whim of local authorities bent on securing re-election through “law and order” platforms that involved cracking down on queers.
Other concerns addressed in the opening essay include who has the right to lay claim to the Stonewall Riots as a part of their history; who and why certain groups have claimed the riots as part of their own; and the importance of affirming and addressing the roles people of color played in the riots and in early LGBTQIA activism.
Although the documents included in Stonewall Riots: A Documentary History do not go beyond 1973, they can (and do) assist in developing a more accurate and complicated snapshot of the facts and conceivable effects of Stonewall. In reading through this volume, one of the things that consistently struck me as extraordinary was that despite all the incredible divisions among the LGBT community of the time (white middle class men leading most large liberal groups, lesbians merely serving as “tokens” for otherwise male-driven organizations, street kids and hustlers feeling lesser than and left out of the movement, and many wanting a “respectability” vs. a freedom of sexual expression, while some still pondered the suitability of non-violence), action still remained possible. This message ought to especially bring hope to those of today’s generation.
The readings Stein chooses do not paper over the queer community’s blemishes in their representation; they even remind us that queers weren’t without their own wince-worthy ignorance. While inwardly reacting against various appeals in several articles demanding gays be less “campy” and “out of hand” while in public, I particularly became aware of the sensibilities of the times in which we live. I literally gasped out loud when reading a 1965 transvestite account wherein Susanna Valenti laments that “women have all the breaks [and asks] how many times has a woman solved an important problem just by putting on a good cry?” Valenti even voices that she has “a sneaking suspicion that it’s woman who has invented today’s Masculine Role.” It’s not without surprise, therefore, that we learn that some held that there would never be “unity of organization.”
Manifestos as well as court documents round out the readings Stein selects, and for those interested in the recent utopic turn in queer theory, there isn’t a shortage of evidence to attest to its practice early on in the Gay Liberation Movement. Anti-relationality, it appears, was a value the movement fought for, not one it succeeded with.
To sum up, Stein contextualizes this work quite well, and very useful tips for further sources are provided in the book’s appendix and endnotes; and while I have not yet visited it, readers and educators should take notice that the work will be complemented with an extensive online research guide. I find it especially useful to add here that In taking up Stonewall Riots, I am aware above all that this anthology is not meant simply to re-present History (with a capital “H”). To the contrary, it is meant to inspire. A particularly unique feature of Stonewall Riots among activist histories is its inclusion of chapters on the understudied dimension of direct actions, events that were “creative and dramatic” and, as Stein adds, these (among the several contributions between Stonewall Riot’s covers) “may prove useful for those searching for ideas and inspirations in new political struggles.”
August 15, 2019
When we discuss an event from history most of us think we are talking about an objective truth, about “what happened.” However, even if we are eyewitnesses to that event, because we each bring our individual life-history to it, we cannot see or understand it in the same way. Then, when we include the passage of time, that event takes on even new interpretations and thereby creates new memories.
During June 1969, hundreds, if not thousands, of persons participated in a multi-day protest / riot following a police raid of the Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street in New York City. This was not the first physical confrontation between LGBTQ persons and police, but it has come to be identified as a defining moment in US lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) history and a key moment in the history of civil rights and social change in this country. It has become a symbol of resistance to oppression of the dispossessed.
Author, Marc Stein, Professor of History at San Francisco State University, states that even though it is impossible to go back in time and know exactly what happened, it seems likely that:
For this reason, this large collection of 200 mostly primary documents (documents from the moment) about the Stonewall Riots and events preceding and following the last days of June 1969, is important. Here, before layers of interpretation are added (secondary sources) and time and emotion make it harder to see the objective reality, we can read texts written by people immediately affected. And, even though each document reflects the individuality of the person creating it, we can read multiple accounts from multiple perspectives and thereby come closer to “what happened.”
One need not be LGBTQ to appreciate this collection of police reports, news articles, maps, photos, gay bar guides, and accounts by persons present. Rather than create a cohesive account of Stonewall and its aftermath, Stein has chosen to avoid interpreting the event and allowed us to see the messiness of history. Therefore, anyone interested in how we view and “do” history, and in how we create social change, will likely find this book fascinating.
During June 1969, hundreds, if not thousands, of persons participated in a multi-day protest / riot following a police raid of the Stonewall Inn at 53 Christopher Street in New York City. This was not the first physical confrontation between LGBTQ persons and police, but it has come to be identified as a defining moment in US lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) history and a key moment in the history of civil rights and social change in this country. It has become a symbol of resistance to oppression of the dispossessed.
Author, Marc Stein, Professor of History at San Francisco State University, states that even though it is impossible to go back in time and know exactly what happened, it seems likely that:
Some aspects of the uprising were spontaneous and unprecedented. The homophile movement of the 1950s and 1960s and its radicalization in the second half of the 1960s created the preconditions for revolt. The long history of bar-based resistance practices created a repertoire of rebellious responses. Other social movements provided revolutionary inspiration and influence. And the combination of heightened expectations and dashed hopes that many felt as the country transitioned from a period of liberal reform to one of conservative backlash—and that LGBT people experienced in the context of a new wave of police raids, violent killings, and local vigilantism—created an explosive situation that erupted on 28 June.
For this reason, this large collection of 200 mostly primary documents (documents from the moment) about the Stonewall Riots and events preceding and following the last days of June 1969, is important. Here, before layers of interpretation are added (secondary sources) and time and emotion make it harder to see the objective reality, we can read texts written by people immediately affected. And, even though each document reflects the individuality of the person creating it, we can read multiple accounts from multiple perspectives and thereby come closer to “what happened.”
One need not be LGBTQ to appreciate this collection of police reports, news articles, maps, photos, gay bar guides, and accounts by persons present. Rather than create a cohesive account of Stonewall and its aftermath, Stein has chosen to avoid interpreting the event and allowed us to see the messiness of history. Therefore, anyone interested in how we view and “do” history, and in how we create social change, will likely find this book fascinating.
May 23, 2020
The Stonewall Riots is a very informative and interesting book that would improve any reference collection. The depth of coverage, from3 years before, during, and 3 years after the riots is impressive. I learned many things I did not know while reading this book and interested readers can learn a good amount of LGBTQA history here as well. The coverage is mostly from LGBTQA newspapers, with very little coverage of mainstream papers. I felt like more mainstream coverage should have been included but the author points out that the mainstream coverage is easier to find. This is true enough, but I really felt like some mainstream stories should have been included to show the whole picture. Without those stories, you get a biased view and it could lead to misunderstandings. One reading this might not realize how anti-gay mainstream publications were at the time. There is some reference to that fact, but again, I think to see those stories juxtaposed with stories from LGBTQA publications would have given a more rounded picture of the times and the environment. Overall though, I think it can be of great use as a starting point for research. Especially since many of the stories included are not provided in full, follow-up research will need to be done.
April 14, 2019
So much has been written about Stonewall and its place in the history of LGBT rights that one would think what more do we need to know. Mark Stein's work gives you the "more" you need. He has chosen 200 primary resources documenting gay bars, activists and political protests before Stonewall, the Stonewall Riots, and after Stonewall up to 1973. None of the sources are the definitive, but are sources that allow one to come to one's own conclusions. The introduction to these works is valuable in itself. He outlines the problems of examining these primary sources, and provides a listing of some secondary sources he believes are valuable.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this electronic version of the work.
Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for this electronic version of the work.
June 17, 2019
I remember reading about the riots that weekend in 1969. Since then I've read & seen other historical works concerned with the events that took place. This book caught my interest as it seemed to be more than just a timeline history. The book traces events which occurred before Stonewall through the uprising itself and into the following few years. The "document" style in which the book is written reminded me of being in a museum having the objects on display and having to read the little plaques which explain each item. Many of them here were interesting, some less so. I admit I did skim quite a bit through them. While I did enjoy the book I think if you're looking for a history of the event there are others that might be better.
April 5, 2022
Like many have said this is a great introductory book to the stonewall riots, what led up to it, and than what followed the riots. However most stories were short snippets so more research and information would be needed if you wanted a well rounded knowledge of Stonewall. My biggest thing is just that this could have used more analysis from the author. About halfway through the author popped in an edit to provide some analysis and context to one of the snippets and I just wanted more of that! Overall I liked this and I thought that it was great that it mainly focused on the real stories of queer people.
July 3, 2019
A really good book. A history of the Stonewall riots as told through a wide variety of publications from that period. Mainstream and alternative publications are included. It was interesting to see the slightly different interpretations of the events, varying by the different viewpoints of the reporters and those interviewed. It is nice to have all the recorded historical information in one place.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 16, 2019
The great thing about this book is that it has sources pre, post and during Stonewall.
I would recommend this as a companion text. I wouldn't say it something that you can go to without at least an understanding of what the Stonewall Riots were. I would encourage anyone with an interest in history, LGBTQ+ or otherwise to get their hands on a copy. It would be a great addition to the bookshelf of anyone studying sociology, politics or anyone who is an equality activist.
I would recommend this as a companion text. I wouldn't say it something that you can go to without at least an understanding of what the Stonewall Riots were. I would encourage anyone with an interest in history, LGBTQ+ or otherwise to get their hands on a copy. It would be a great addition to the bookshelf of anyone studying sociology, politics or anyone who is an equality activist.
July 12, 2019
This book offers an interesting viewpoint by re-publishing LGBT articles by LGBT authors during the 60s and 70s. The conclusion is that LGBT protesting was happening before the Stonewall Riots, but that this could be labeled a turning point. The articles were sometimes repetitive and warranted skimming.
September 20, 2020
Well done, and a wealth of material. It's fascinating to see how the alliances, stances, disagreements, and languages differ from today, most notably in the ways gender is understood and talked about. Still, it's a bit of a slog to read so many primary sources one after the other with very little explanatory preface. In particular the section on the riots themselves felt repetitive.
April 11, 2019
The Stonewall Riot: A Documentary History
by Marc Stein
2019
NYU Press
5.0 / 5.0
June 28,1969. A gay bar in Greenwich Village, NY, Stonewall Inn, was raided by the NYPD, claiming they did not have a liquor license, and used this as an opportunity to exercise their own prejudices and bigoted beliefs towards gay people. This started a riot.
This is a comprehensive and engaging resource of an important and pivotal event and the influence those actions have had since then. These 200 documents, taken from magazines, newspapers, media and gay guides and first-person accounts, share the deep emotions and interpretations of the Stonewall Riot.
Nearing itś 50th Anniversary, this is a timely, engaging and comprehensive resource. LGBTQ and its supporters will love this!! I did.
Thanks to NYU Press and Marc Stein for sharing this e-book ARC for review.
#TheStonewallRiot #NetGalley
by Marc Stein
2019
NYU Press
5.0 / 5.0
June 28,1969. A gay bar in Greenwich Village, NY, Stonewall Inn, was raided by the NYPD, claiming they did not have a liquor license, and used this as an opportunity to exercise their own prejudices and bigoted beliefs towards gay people. This started a riot.
This is a comprehensive and engaging resource of an important and pivotal event and the influence those actions have had since then. These 200 documents, taken from magazines, newspapers, media and gay guides and first-person accounts, share the deep emotions and interpretations of the Stonewall Riot.
Nearing itś 50th Anniversary, this is a timely, engaging and comprehensive resource. LGBTQ and its supporters will love this!! I did.
Thanks to NYU Press and Marc Stein for sharing this e-book ARC for review.
#TheStonewallRiot #NetGalley
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May 13, 2019The fiftieth anniversary of Stonewall—the protests in Greenwich Village that kickstarted the modern LGBTQ+ movement—is coming up this summer, and this documentary history is the perfect way to celebrate the occasion. Marc Stein has gathered a multitude of documents about the movement, including newspaper reports, op-eds, court decisions, first-hand accounts, political fliers, photographs, and more. He focuses specifically on the five years before Stonewall, the uprising itself, and the five years following in order to capture a close-up look at the times. Stein’s introduction is a valuable and detailed overview, but he mostly lets the documents speak for themselves. They provide a fascinating glimpse into the struggles and the triumphs of a movement that shaped the world we know today.
https://bookriot.com/2019/05/10/may-2...
https://bookriot.com/2019/05/10/may-2...
May 20, 2019
The Stonewall Riots is a interesting and informative book. Marc Stein has done a lot of research and has written a good book.
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