Marcados pelo triângulo rosa (Relatos de guerra)

by Ken Setterington, Sandra Pina (Translator)

O que acontece quando sua orientação sexual pode se tornar sua sentença de morte?

Quando os nazistas subiram ao poder na Alemanha, a vida dos homossexuais mudou. De um cenário de liberdade sexual, vivido principalmente na Alemanha até o início da década de 1930, para o medo, prisões e campos de concentração.

Ken Settrington uniu sua importante pesquisa a relatos de sobreviventes homossexuais que viveram os horrores dos campos de concentração para resgatar sua história e cravar nas pessoas a ideia da importância da igualdade dos direitos humanos e civis, para todos, independentemente de orientação sexual. O triângulo rosa se tornou um símbolo dos direitos dos homossexuais, mas muitas pessoas desconhecem a história por trás dele.

Marcados pelo Triângulo Rosa traz à tona relatos de coragem diante da crueldade humana, de amizade diante do desespero nos campos de concentração e de esperança na humanidade.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, LGBT, Holocaust, Queer, Historical, War

133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2013

Reviews

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This won the Stonewall Honor Award for 2014. This is a very important book. Gays were the forgotten victims, even more so than the Romany victims. I'm using the word Gay for a reason: The Nazis were focused on Gays because it meant they were not contributing to the next generation of Aryans for the Fatherland. This is the first work I have been aware of on this subject for Teens. Other books made allusions to this group of victims but this is the first I'm aware of where Homosexual persecution is the theme of the book. As with Jews, it is terribly important that these victims be remembered. While in this country, more and more LGBT people are treated as equals with more and more of the same rights, in many parts of the world, homosexuality is still a crime and in five countries this "crime" can be punished by death. The experiences of Gay prisoners was pretty similar to the experience of Jews in the camps. However, because of their pink triangle, they were likely raped more and used more frequently for medical experiments since the Nazis were very anxious to "cure" homosexuality. Among the nonJew inhabitants, Gays possibly had the highest death rate, perhaps as high as 60%, although this is speculation since that kind of fact apparently is one of the few things the Nazi monomania for recording everything missed. I did not enjoy reading this book. I have gotten to where I simply cannot tolerate reading about the Nazi crimes any more. However, this is really a book that needs to be read, as unpleasant as it is and for the same reason as reading about the Jewish experience of the Holocaust: it must not be forgotten lest we repeat such atrocities. I am rather shocked this did not win the award itself but was only an honor book. BTW the author is a librarian and has sat on committees to award the Newbery, Caldecott and Sibert awards. Highly recommended but you know what to expect if you have done any reading of concentration camp experiences. Highly unpleasant. Highly recommended.

Addendum 5/2020: With hate crimes shooting up (pun grimly chosen) and transgender women being killed at high rates, I am going to add to my review in hopes of making the topic more visible to people. Again, I still feel the same about this book: it is a very important read!

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew of the Pink Triangles as seen in a few movies I've watched: A Love to Hide (2005), Bent (1997), and Fateless (2005) This book travels through history starting when Berlin was a world wide magnet for homosexuals, to become a symbol of death and torture under the Nazi Party, to post-war criminals (homosexuality still illegal) and finally long-awaited recognition. Only in very recent history has reconciliation been gained.

The writing in this book remained 'objective'. It would be so easy to get extremely passionate, but the author is laying down the facts. We get multiple first-hand account stories from prisoners. Their passionate stories are in separate books that can be found in the appendix (and at the bottom of this review).

Paragraph 175 was written in 1871 for 'a man who commits indecency with another man'. It was seldom enforced and homosexual culture thrived in Berlin. People traveled to Berlin to seek out this atmosphere at the clubs. (Read Chris Isherwood novels). Prior to the Nazis coming to power, there may have been 1000 arrests each year, but almost never a prison sentence. Activists were on a serious path to dismantle this law. Signatories included Albert Einstein, Hermann Hesse, Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke and Martin Buber. Scientific research was conducted to help refute this law.

But the Nazi Party expounded toxic masculinity for men. The Nazi Party won the majority in 1932, and homosexual rights quickly began to be crushed. Dachau opened shortly after Hitler was appointed Chancellor, and was run by Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS. Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals and Jehovah's Witnesses were first.

Hitler had Ernst Rohm (a known homosexual) as 2nd in command, so people thought attacks would not prevail. Rohm would not live.

In 1937, Rudolf Brazda was arrested as a suspected homosexual after police investigated some of his friends. He was sentenced to 6 months in prison. His partner, Werner, was already in the military but he too got arrested. They never saw each other again. Rudolf got additional time tacked on at Buchenwald. "We gays were hunted like animals."

At the camp, Rudolf was striped and had to enter a pool of disinfectant with many other men and had his head pushed underwater, burning his eyes and choking him. He was given a uniform with a large pink triangle, to identify him as a 'fag'.

Rudolf was one of 650 "175ers" at the camp. He was assigned stone quarry, which only a few could survive. Rudolf remembered one young gay man who gouged out his eyes so the he would be sent to the infirmary. Even a lethal injection seemed better. Kapo help could be gained with sex trade. Brutal beatings occurred daily.

The killing program expanded to the physically disabled. Over 70,000 men, women and children died in the first two years. The Aryan race had to have any weakness eliminated. Paragraph 175 received modification and gossip and innuendo became evidence as well as retroactive.

The five years from 1935 to 1939 saw the largest number of arrests of homosexuals in Germany. They were tortured to provided names. After this time, it became easier to focus on Jews since that was on formal records, whereas homosexuality was all just inference. Even money could not keep a homosexual safe. At camps, they became medical experiments which even led to death. A prisoner had a bucket put over his head while naked and dogs were allowed to attack and kill him in the witness of all the prisoners. Pink Triangle prisoners received the harshest punishments at these camps. Lights were kept on in their barracks and they were forced to sleep with their hands outside their covers.

A particularly painful punishment was being suspended by the wrists on posts, with the arms tied behind the back. A prisoner described this as the "Singing Forest" per the howling and screaming that was beyond comprehension. A picture of these poles, which still stand at Sachsenhausen, is in this book.

Castration was offered as an option to prisoners, to allow them to become soldiers at the front. Prisoners built shooting ranges during live ammo practice and many got shot.

Sadly, after the war, homosexuals prisoners were still not seen as victims. Homosexuality remained a punishable offense until 1969. 100,000 men were arrested and imprisoned between 1949 and 1969 for Paragraph 175.

Memorials finally began in the mid 1980's. Ch 10 contains a short final synopsis of these individual survivor's stories that were used in this book. Most of these former prisoners have individual books about their life in the bibliography.

This is a well researched book with an appendix worth examining. I have added GR links to all the book resources at the bottom of this review. I would need more tables of data and another 100+ pages to give this book a full 5*. But I valued the learning I achieved by reading this.


Chapters:
1: Berlin - Homosexual Capital of the World
2: The Rise of the Nazis
3: The Gay Life is Over
4: The Master Race - The Nazi Plan to Rid Germany of the Inferior
5: Death through Work - Imprisonment in the Concentration Camps
6: Nazis in Occupied Territories
7: Jewish Homosexuals
8: Aftermath
9: Recognition at Last
10: The Survivors
Conclusion: Its Gets Better

Appendices:
Timeline of Events Crucial for Homosexual Men in Germany: 1871-2012

Bibliography
- Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow
- An Underground Life: Memoirs of a Gay Jew in Nazi Berlin
- Damned Strong Love: The True Story of Willi G. and Stefan K.
- Paragraph 175
- - - - (actually, Paragraph 175 is cited as a DVD, but I found this book)
- Social Outsiders in Nazi Germany
- The Men with the Pink Triangle: The True Life-and-Death Story of Homosexuals in the Nazi Death Camps
- Peter Flinsch: The Body in Question
- The Berlin Stories: The Last of Mr Norris/Goodbye to Berlin
- Bent
- Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp 1936-1945
- The Pink Triangle: The Nazi War Against Homosexuals
- Amazon to Zami: Towards a Global Lesbian Feminism
- Days of Masquerade: Life Stories of Lesbians During the Third Reich
- I, Pierre Seel, Deported Homosexual: A Memoir of Nazi Terror
- Self-Confidence and Persistence: Two Hundred Years of History
- A History of Homosexuality in Europe, Vol. II

Notes (original resources to read or view)

Index

Additional Movie links:
- A Love to Hide (2005): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0444518/
- Bent (1997): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118698/
- Fateless (2005): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367082/

[Toby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t even know how to start this review, hell, could this even be called a review? I’m going to go with “personal outlook” instead.

This book hit something deep. I tend to hold back with my emotions when it comes to nonfiction, due to how devastating they can be, but by the end of this, my throat felt tight and I was on the verge of tears.

As someone who’s queer, reading accounts and the atrocities that happened to our community, before, during and after the war sickened me. I already knew a fair amount of the things that happened pre-war and during the war, but the things that happened after were the things that were making me the most devastated and it’s shameful that we are taught about this.

I didn’t know that it wasn’t until 2001 that Germany recognised gays as victims of the Nazi Regime. I didn’t know that queer folk still had to carry out their prison sentences after being “saved” by the allies, even after all they’d been put through. Queer folk didn’t receive any help for their trauma, didn’t receive compensation or help from programs made for survivors, all because who they were, was still a crime.

This book sickened me, it made me angry, upset, devastated, but it also opened my eyes to the fact that living in 2022, I have it so much easier and so much better, and that I hope our community never has to face something like this ever again.

This is a very important part of queer history, and everyone should read it.

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[Callum McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all (rightfully) know about the persecution of Jews under Nazi rule, but the sorry secret of Germany's past that has been swept under the carpet for years is the horror that was also inflicted upon gay men. This book asks us to remember how they suffered.

This is probably one of the best non-fiction books I've read, in that it's made accessible and very readable, so that it completely avoids the trap of feeling dull or dry, and yet without ever dumbing down its content. Setterington also cleverly chooses to make the events relatable on a far more human level by focussing largely on specific men's experiences rather than merely the cold, hard facts. It's not a book about faceless statistics, numbers and dates; it's a book about real people; their lives, their loves and their losses.

I felt quite emotional at several points throughout this, and was so enthralled I ended up reading it all in a single sitting. I was, of course, aware that gay people weren't considered a desirable part of Hitler's 'master race', but am now ashamed to say I had no idea just how brutally they suffered (both during Nazi occupation, and, heartbreakingly, in the aftermath of the seeming liberation that proved to be anything but for gay men). It's a poignant rallying call to remember our past, and yet a hopeful look towards an increasingly better future.

[Priya · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's so important to read about history to know what has happened before. The persecution of Jews and those he considered 'defective' by Hitler and his Nazi regime is well known. From this book, I learnt about his horrid persecution of homosexuals, gay men in particular.

The very permissive city of Berlin became the exact opposite in the aftermath of Hitler's pursuit of a 'master race' for which he wanted perfect, strong individuals who would produce perfect babies. Gay men were thought to be useless because they wouldn't contribute to this exalted task. Identified by markers like their 'feminism', perfume, clothes all based on preconceived notions, these men were arrested, imprisoned and even sent to concentration camps where they suffered untold misery.

I didn't know that there was a code to identify homosexuals in the concentration camp until I read this book. They had to wear a pink triangle indicating their 'perversion', thus making them vulnerable to violence at the hands of even other inmates. Dehumanising experiments were carried out on them in the name of 'curing' their 'unnatural tendencies'.

That the world has come a long way since then is true but the memory of what they suffered, kept alive by monuments and memorials in many countries, should serve as a constant reminder of the need to do more and become more accepting of those around us just as they are.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setterington’s book provides a historic view of the shift in attitudes toward homosexuality in Germany prior to, during, and after Hitler’s rise to power. In spite of laws against homosexuality, Berlin, Germany at the beginning of the 20th century was home to a thriving and relatively open gay community. Setterington documents this relaxed social climate via photographs, posters, and publications, then proceeds to chronicle the shift in attitudes through the ensuing decade as the Nazi party rose into power. The book sheds light on the history of the pink triangle, a symbol sewn onto the prison uniforms of homosexuals interred in Nazi prison camps, and how it has changed from a brand of shame and persecution to a universally accepted symbol of gay rights.

Setterington, a librarian, ties together historic research, photographs, individual stories, and first person accounts to shed light on a little-known aspect of the holocaust and to honor the strength and resiliency of the human spirit. His writing style is extremely readable (the opposite of dull and dry). He connects his research and this book to the “It Gets Better” campaign and spreads the message, “everyone deserves to be respected for who they are.” The book is an excellent addition to LGBT history and deserves a space in public and school libraries.

Themes: citizenship, courage, prejudice, persecution, war crimes, man’s inhumanity toward man, homosexuality, gay rights, human dignity, strength of the human spirit, identity, national pride, politics, social studies

Awards & recognition:
2015 Canadian Jewish Book Awards—Winner, Holocaust Literature
2014 Stonewall Award—Honor Book, American Library Association
Top Ten, 2014 Rainbow List, American Library Association's Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Round Table (GLBTRT) and Social
Responsibilities Round Table (SSRT)
United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) Outstanding
International Books 2014
Bank Street College Children's Book Committee's "Best Children's Books
of the Year, 2014" for ages 14+
Kirkus starred review

[Sara Inês · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a nice book to start reading about what happen to gay men during WWII. It is short, it doesn't go that deep into the things it talks about. I found it a bit confusing at times, so, it was nice that they added a chronology of events at the end of the book.

This part of history always gets erased. I didn't talk about it at school, I rarely see it written or talked about. It is important not to forget how these brave men fought and tried to survive.

[Maria Bazarte-De La Luz · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The exact numbers are not really the point. What is crucial is remembering that thousands of men died because of their homosexuality.”

During the Holocaust, gay men were highly persecuted. This book tells of this side of history and includes the story of a number of these men that suffered at the hands of the Nazis. Some of which are Josef Kohout, Pierre Seel, Peter Flinsch, Gad Beck, and Stefan Kosinski. Lesbians also often ended up in concentration camps, but they weren’t persecuted at the same rate as gay men. They weren’t labeled specifically. Gays were forced to wear the Pink Triangle which let others know that they were “175ers”-- in violation of Paragraph 175, which forbade homosexuality/ “indecencies” between men. Lesbians wore a black label, labeled as “anti-social”.

Under Hitler and the Nazis’ rule, there was no tolerance for people with “defects” or that were considered a liability. Hitler was working on creating an untarnished Aryan race. Gays were considered a liability and were viewed as a possible downfall because of the lack of reproduction,, or if they decided to reproduce, they believed homosexuality could be inherited. Gays underwent harsh mistreatment including isolation, beatings, and hard labor. They were isolated from other prisoners, were under constant surveillance, forced to sleep with the lights on in their barracks, and were forced to sleep with their hands on top of their blankets to “prove that they weren’t masturbating.” Many of these men were also used as lab rats for experiments to find a “cure” for homosexuality that often had very bad results.

Although Nazi rule was over, homosexuality was still illegal in many of the Allied Powers’ countries. The Allied Powers had limited sympathy for them. Paragraph 175 remained a law after the Nazi defeat and many homosexual men were still arrested even years after (1949-1969). They were not considered victims, until years later, to the Nazi regime, but instead considered criminals.

I have read many books about the Holocaust, but I have never read one that specifically focuses on a different perspective of the Holocaust. I think that reading from different standpoints is interesting and this is one of those books that I think everyone should read. It is very educational and from it I learned where the triangle symbol amongst the gay community comes from. I knew that it was an important symbol, but I didn’t know where it came from until I stumbled upon this book. I also learned that some people were allowed discharge from concentration camps, if they had good behavior, as long as they kept quiet about what happened. I recommend this book to people who want to learn more about the treatment of gay men during the Holocaust.

[Jean-François · Rating 5 out of 5]

« Le nombre d’hommes gais tués dans les camps de concentration n’est pas connu, le nombre d’hommes dans l’armée que l’on a exécutés pour homosexualité n’est pas connu et le nombre de Juifs homosexuels envoyés dans les chambres à gaz n’est pas connu non plus. En plus de ceux morts aux mains des nazis, il est impossible de savoir combien d’hommes se sont enlevé la vie pour ne pas être arrêtés pour homosexualité. Les chiffres exacts, ce n’est pas ce qui compte. Ce qui est crucial, c’est de se rappeler que des milliers d’hommes sont morts à cause de leur homosexualité.
Plusieurs de leurs histoires ont été perdues.
Tout ce qui nous reste de certains d’entre eux, ce sont les photos prises au moment de leur arrestation. Pour beaucoup d’autres, même leurs noms ont été perdus. Nous ne devons pas les oublier. » Pages 137-138.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtfully written, well researched account of how homosexuals(primarily men)were persecuted in Nazi Germany and the countries it occupied, and how they later were included in the Final Solution among the "inferiors" to be exterminated. Setterington effectively blends history with personal stories of victims and survivors. An important contribution to Holocaust literature.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Interesting topic, uninteresting writing. It read like a college paper.

[Gavin Stephenson-Jackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard sometimes to see just how far we've come unless we know where we've been. The rise of Nazism saw the rise of hate and the scapegoating of people who were seen as different. In all the history taught in school, the persecution of the LGBTQ population is most frequently left out. Even in our more enlightened age talking about the lives of gay men is still a taboo subject for far too many. This is an excellent introduction to the atrocities inflicted on gay men by the Nazis during WWII and hopefully will provide educators with a doorway to understanding.

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was informative, but also felt more like a list of facts than a solid narrative. Maybe it was the audiobook narrator, but I didn't feel a lot of emotion, more like, "here are some terrible things that happened, followed by more terrible things." I guess what I'm saying is I prefer narrative nonfiction.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, sad, and important read about the least-honored victims of the Holocaust.

[Elise V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Petit essai synthétique sur le sujet, qui aurait mérité davantage de notes de bas de page et le recours à des sources primaires!

[Courtney Roskom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The evil of humanity will always surprise me. How people think they have the right to harm others just because they are different from them.

How Germany went from welcoming to the gay community to the inhumane treatmeant of them during the Holocaust and then continued their imprisionment after all that they endured.

Some quotes that stuck with me with todays climate:

"They thought theyd be safe cause the men in power were like them. They were wrong."

"It was agrued that people with mental or physical disabilites were a burden on society and need to be removed. The first programs of mercy killings began in 1939."

[Jacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very quick read.

I am glad that I was able to read more information on this topic. I am shocked that there has been so little historical coverage of the LGBTQ+ members during WWII.

I am looking to read and learn more... and plan to watch the movie Bent (1997) after hearing it talked about in the book.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Older teens - interesting non-fiction on a little explored topic.

[Mer Mendoza (Merlyn’s Book Hoard) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely well researched and heartbreaking look at one of the corners full of atrocities that lurk in Holocaust history that sometimes gets overshadowed by all of the many many corners full of atrocities that lurk in Holocaust history.

It begins in Germany, before Hitler’s rise to power and provides a really interesting look into the relatively easygoing LGBT scene in prewar Berlin—where homosexuality was illegal, but more or less only technically. Enforcement of that law was rare enough to be unlikely and the overall atmosphere was much more welcoming than other parts of the world at the time. Germany thus had a thriving gay community, which made what came next all the more heartbreaking.

Another aspect that I found interesting was the way that homophobic rhetoric and anti-gay legislation that emerged during Hitler’s rise to power was tied to anti abortion sentiment as well. On the surface, when the topic is first introduced, this seemed like an almost nonsensical connection. The section of the book that outlines how the political and social rhetoric was shifting to prioritize raising good German children (a patriotic duty to reproduce), was fascinating.

This audiobook was well narrated, and at under three hours is a quick (but heavy) listen. The narrator is excellent and engaging. However, I suspect that the book works better in print format, as it includes many photographs and while the audiobook does provide in depth image descriptions, the descriptions almost serve to highlight that a part of the intended experience is missing.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really solid middle grade/YA primer on gay persecution by the Nazis. I would have liked for a little more info on trans/gender nonconforming folks as well as a little more on gay resistance efforts (although this was touched on in Gad Beck's story), but overall, this book is a really good place to introduce younger readers to this history. It is also nice to read the author's note at the end about being a gay man and realizing his privilege (in both time and in living in Canada) through the research of this book

For folks wondering about appropriateness for their readers, there is really no mention of explicit sexual acts, but rape and sexual coercion are mentioned. In terms of non-sexual physical violence, the descriptions are not, for the most part, overly graphic, but examples of punishments are given.

I would feel very comfortable using this book in my high school classroom (and I did have it on my classroom shelf when I taught). If using this book with more mature middle grade readers, I would suggest having discussions with your readers to help them process what they are reading and their feelings about it.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcados pelo Triângulo Rosa, de Ken Setterington, é um dos poucos livros (traduzidos para o português do Brasil) que trata da situação e da história dos prisioneiros gays dos campos de concentração nazistas. Estou lendo esses trabalhos para uma pesquisa para a contrução de um roteiro de uma história em quadrinhos e de um longa metragem. Pouco retratadas nas artes, as condições dos gays, os mais execráveis dentro da "tabela" de personas non gratas e passíveis a conenações, torturas e mortes do partido de Adolf Hitler. Pior que ser um homossexual durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, somente sendo um homossexual e também um judeu. Embora seja um livro, de alguma forma, indicado para crianças, tendo ganhado prêmios relativos a isso, é preciso ter estômago e sangue frio para ficar por dentro da realidade dos gays nos campos de concentração nazitas. Um livro necessario ao extremo para que novas obras possam surgir abordando temas como a perseguição aos homossexuais durante a Segunda Guerra Mundia na Alemanha e que continua nos dias hoje por todas as partes do mundo.

[Juniper Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

important history

As a queer living in this post apocalyptic nightmare we call 2023, I feel alone and afraid. I keep hearing the words “transgender genocide”. I keep hearing Jewish people talk about how the Far Right movement in America sounds familiar. I live in fear of what is to come. In my fearful solitude, I want to find my ancestors- gay folkx who experienced and survived things much worse than I. I want to connect with their stories and find hope to keep going. I want to know their bravery so that I may continue to be brave.
Branded by the Pink Triangle details the horrors gay men endured under the might of the Third Reich. I am filled with rage that once the Jewish people were liberated from their horrors, my gay ancestors were not freed from their social and political harassment. This book contains important stories that need to be told. I am honored to have read it.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great short non fiction book about the lives of gay men in Germany/Europe during the Nazi reign. I really did enjoy it! It has stories from people who lived through and suffered from the Nazi rule and their "purifying" of the German population.

Gay men were seen as undesirable because they will not pass on the Master Race. I found this to be very encompassing of what it would have been like for those in Germany and Europe at the time and gave real life stories and photos of what happened. It gives a good amount of background and other information to make sure those who don't know a lot about the Nazis and Holocaust to understand some of the references and why things were like this. I enjoyed learning about a subject that isn't commonly talked about and the suppression they faced after the war.

The writing was fairly good, was a little simplistic in spots but it didn't take away too much from what the book was trying to get across. Would recommend this book for anyone!

[Danielle Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have so many feelings and emotions swirling around in me upon finishing Branded By the Pink Triangle. One of the strongest is the anger and frustration that I didn't learn about this in school. We are taught about the 6 million Jews (rightfully so) that were killed during the Holocaust. But aside from variations of "homosexuals were killed to", we dont learn anything even remotely in depth about this subject. And that breaks my heart.

This is such an important book to read. It is imperative that the stories of the men, women, and children are never forgotten. If we don't learn our history, then we are doomed to repeat it.

[Shruthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some iffy bits and vaguely off wording but an interesting + accessible read on a sometimes forgotten part of history.

The author made a good point of making distinction between the types and severity of horrors various groups faced. I think this sensitivity should’ve been carried through the book to the last chapter (the “it gets better” chapter) when referring to the experiences of queer people globally in the 21st century.

This is also very short and has an interesting narrative style that alternates between historical facts and profiles of people who were affected. I didn’t love this method of communicating the history but your mileage may vary.

[Andy Bird · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in French (Marqués du triangle rose). Short and harrowing summary of the nazi persecution of homosexuals during the 1930/40s. A combination of scene setting and a summary (of sorts) of some of the disturbing personal stories that have been published. People interested in the Weimar period before may enjoy the non fiction book "Gay Berlin".

[Silke · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-structured book about the genocide of gay people and the prejudice and torture they had to deal with just because of who they loved.
Definitely worth a read, since there really isn't much information about what happened to gay men during the holocaust, and it's still something that not many people know about and talk about.
The men with the pink triangles deserve recognition.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

showing a different side to the nazi reign of terror than the well documented (and equally horrific) persecution of the jewish people, this book looks at how homosexual men were treated during the 1930’s and 40’s. devastating but important as it shows a lesser known part of that time in history.

[Tib]

A very informative read. I often heard about the pink triangle men in passing when talking about the horrific events of the Holocaust, but I never really looked into what actually happened to them. Gives me a lot to think about.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important book to read. I had no idea how gay men continued to be persecuted after enduring the hells of concentration camps. The mix of stories of individual gay men and facts of their lives in concentration camps or evasion of them brought a very personal feel to the book.