P.S. Burn this Letter Please: The Fabulous and Fraught Birth of Modern Drag, in the Queen's Own Words

by Craig Olsen, Sasha Velour (Introduction)

Their greatest act of resistance was simply existing.

Drags, fags and trans-women were attracted to the Big Apple because they were able to find work as impersonators in a small number of Lower East Side clubs.

Decades before Stonewall, they occupied the margins of society, determined to live as they pleased, despite of the attentions of the police. Sometimes reduced to stealing to get their costumes, these girls were unstoppable, fearless and fabulous.
 
When a cache of their letters were discovered, these individuals were given a voice where they had traditionally been silenced. The letters they wrote bear witness to a time when gay community was hard to find.
 
Blending social, political and cultural history with memoir, this book is an unforgettable and deeply moving encounter with a generation of incredible survivors and a necessary account of how modern drag culture was born.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Queer, Audiobook, LGBT

206 pages, Hardcover

First published August 15, 2023

Reviews

[Finnoula · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was really nice to hear all of these letters. I was in love with the documentary so I knew I was going to love the book. It was so amazing!! I love history and since the 1950s marked the precursor to the start of the gay liberation movement, it was so fun to hear the words of so many iconic queens!!!!

[Amadeus Wangsvik · Rating 4 out of 5]

likte den veldig godt når den handlet om brevene og historiene til drag queensene på 50-tallet, men syntes at delen fra forfatterens liv var litt kjedelig sammenlignet med alt annet i boka

[Reid Pletsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A super interesting piece of pre-Stonewall queer history

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

How incredible that these letters were preserved so that, more than half a century later, we could get a glimmer of the beginnings of the drag scene in the US, and what being queer meant in the 50s - straight from the horse's mouth.

You can't really have a book on queer history without the mention of HIV and AIDS; although devastating, it's a good reminder of how far we have progressed in terms of diagnosis, treatment and breaking down the stigma, and yet there is still a way to go.

This book serves as a reminder that the scene was undoubtedly not all sunshine and rainbows, but it was really heartwarming to still read about queer joy found in times where society was so shackling.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

just fantastic

[Miguel Arroyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Craig Olsen opens the world, in his rare find of letters from a close knit group of drag queens, the Boombatzas, from the 1950’s all addressed to ‘Reno Martin’. Olsen does an excellent job at navigating and piecing together the lives of the people who make up the Boombatzas with such care, that can only come from the queer community. These found letters not only allow the queer people in 1950’s to speak for themselves in a history marked by police and medical records, but open up a door for present day queer folx to peak into these intimate lives. We learn that despite all odds, queer people were dynamic in living joyfully, intimately, sexually, and cunningly.

Olsen reminds us that as much as our beloved Boombatzas are letting us into their 1950’s queer world, they were still at times markers of their time in regards to racism—except at the drag balls where segregation did not really exist. I think my rating of 4 stars comes from the missed opportunities that Olsen left on the table. In the section titled: “ballroom culture”, Olsen makes it clear that racism was clearly present in the balls and that black & brown queens created their own path that developed into the ball culture we know today. As people of the present and guardians of the past, I believe it is our duty to remind the community of their names. Crystal Lebaja famously is argued for creating what we know as “houses” & ballroom as we know it today. There was mention of “voguing” as well as Madonnas appropriation of that in mainstream media, but Willi Ninja famously birthed the dance.

Overall this is a pure gem of an artifact in queer literature and most importantly restores a voice for the silenced in the archive.

[Leeni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hurjia ihmiskohtaloita ihan sivulauseessa, mutta aika paljon kimallusta. Kirja on tiivis ja koottu tavallaan aika pienistä materiaaleista, mutta se oli silti kiehtovaa luettavaa. Aikamatka ja sisäpiirin katsaus 50/60-lukujen New Yorkin queer-kulttuuriin.

[sophiecookbooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

My synopsis: In 2014 Craig Olsen finds a box of letters written by drag queens to each other in New York City in the 1950s in his friend’s house. In the era of having to hide themselves in drag clothing from police due to it being illegal and fearing prosecution, and when queer and gay individuals were keeping quiet for their own safety.

“One could argue, if it wasn’t for the mafia there would be no drag queens and certainly there would have been no place for gay culture to have preserved in the 1950s”

“Since most of the letter writers lived with their parents, they would sign with their drag name for fear that a family member, landlord or neighbour would open the envelope and read what was inside. If evidence of homosexuality or wearing drag was discovered, they risked being kicked out of their homes, fired from their jobs, being marked as a communist and excommunicated from society.”

“People fear what they don’t understand, and without the proper education or compassion, marginalised people prove to be the perfect scapegoat.”

“I do drag, not because I want to, but because I have to. It is my art and I like to believe in some small way is my contribution to our history.”

My review: I think this is a really important piece of history and glad it has been written. It’s the pre-Stonewall era, so gives a voice to the queer & drag trailblazers whilst documenting the prejudice and oppression they consistently faced in the 1950s. I found it really interesting but wanted to be educated and learn more than I already do, which is why I’ve given it a fairly low rating as I wish it went further and delved deeper into parts of queer & drag culture.
For me I think the execution lacked slightly, as the concept was super interesting. I just wish as readers we were given more from the letters rather than snippets because it’s such a short read. The book was set out clearly into sections which was helpful, and I would recommend from an educational standpoint. Whilst writing this review I saw there is a documentary film about it, so I will definitely watch it💅.

Book Instagram @sophiecookbooks

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

PS Burn This Letter Please by Craig Olsen is a nonfiction book charting the history of a close-knit group of New York drag queens in the 1950s and 60s, based on a cache of letters discovered by the author in a friend's personal effects. I thought it was going to be mostly the letters, but there's actually a very strong narrative by the author that's part memoir, part biography, part history book, and that aspect interested me and engaged me much more than the actual correspondence. It's by turns heartwarming, interesting, surprising, tragic, horrifying, funny, desperately sad - and, overall, celebratory. I did feel the tone didn't always match the content, especially in the darker sections, and also in the fact that the drag queens' apparent rampant shoplifting was always portrayed as harmless fun and entertaining japery, despite them quite often ending up in prison over it... Still, I learned some interesting things and found the narrative overall to be affecting and well written (though it did have some technical issue with tense and typos, which were quite annoying).

[maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this made me so emotional throughout. to think about the history contained in a box of letters carried around from home to home and hidden for ~60 years is just surreal. it shows how important connecting with our queer elders and preserving their (and our) history is. i’m so thankful these letters were not, in fact, burned. i truly mourn all the letters that were and the history and stories lost along with them.

the structure of the book (at least as an audiobook) was a bit jumbled at times and i wished we’d gotten even more from the letters and just that it was a longer read in general! nevertheless, the queer history buff and sentimentalist in me absolutely loved it. i found the documentary accompaniment on kanopy and i’m so excited to watch it this weekend and dive even further into the letters and lives of the boombatzas.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was both wonderful and sad to read: the first because it celebrates the lives and struggles of the pre-Stonewall generation of drag queens; the latter because of the inevitable history of prejudice, oppression and trauma.

Olsen intersperses the letters written by a group of sisters to each other in the '50s with modern testimony from those he was able to find and interview, and with examples of similarities and differences of his own experiences of growing up post-Stonewall.

Olsen's finding of Daphne, now an elderly man who had left his drag identity behind, and his opening up to a listener who was eager to hear the stories of his youth and the found family who mutually supported each other, was really moving. 5🏳️‍🌈

[ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

"we don't just need drag icons—activists written into history and superstars immortalized in pop culture. we need ordinary queens too: the ones who made their splash and then retired, the ones who were a little too anxious to raise their voices for revolution, the ones who just wanted to find love, the ones who were lost too soon. in some ways it's easier to recognize yourself in that kind of story: slangy, self-effacing, horny, overly ambitious, insecure, shady, and oh so human".

el relato de la vida de un grupo (una familia) de drag queens en la escena queer de nueva york en los 50 a partir de las cartas q se enviaron unas a otras. muy interesante y muy necesario.



pd si alguien sabe de un libro/artículo similar sobre la historia del drag español POR FAVOR let me know !!

[Lewis the reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

A glimpse into a history that could so easily be forgotten about.

As a queer individual reading this book, invoke a sense of pride hearing these almost forgotten stories and finding related abilities in the characters made re reflect on my own life as an individual.

Queer history is something that is so often boiled down to the AIDS crisis. It is true that This has had an undeniable impact and it should not be forgotten and it’s talked about in this book. Seeing stories of real individuals real people talking about their queer lives in a pre-stonewall New York fills me with a sense of happiness and relief.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wanted to know more about queer life history.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It amazed me as I read this book, that as we have finally started to understand differences in sexuality there are legislators (and others) who attempt to return society to the dark, restrictive and hellacious past. This book illustrated the challenges and dangers to those who "dared to be different". Thankfully, these letters survived and can educate us to the author's lives and the sentiments of society at that time. Good reading for anyone who wants to learn about the early days of drag.

[Stuart Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Based on letters written by a small group of New York drag queens pre-Stonewall, this is an intriguing story of these men in their own words, presenting a vivid portrait of the light and dark sides of drag in the 1950s and early 1960s. Unfortunately, the story lacks a tight narrative and needs a good edit. Still, the source material is valuable and anyone with an interest in gay culture or queer studies will want to read this.

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

* 3.5 ⭐️
A very interesting look into the life of our Queer ancestors in the 1950s. An important series of stories that needed to be told and preserved. Easy read that’s worth the time.

I listened to it in audiobook form and the narrator wasn’t the most charismatic voice so that took away slightly from it but otherwise a good book.

[Victoria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book needs to be way more popular that it is. It offers such an interesting insight into drag in the 1950s/60s, and the LGBTQIA+ movement pre-stonewall. It introduces some fabulous Queens and gives you an insight into their lives and the daily struggles they faced. It’s told in such an interesting manor and was a super fun, quick and informative read.

[Phillip Crawford Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

In mid-century NYC where the laws were against them and the Mafia were their protectors the drag queens with a little luck and a little pluck transformed into their authentic selves to become existential heroes.

[elijah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very insightful. Important read for ANYONE, queer or not. I learned a lot about my own community and history, fell in love with these people just based on their correspondence, and now have an even greater appreciation for queer history and those that came before.

[Madison Paloski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cried a lot!! We are so privileged today because of the trailblazers before us

[Nicole Lynch-Emery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel so glad this exists and I was able to read it! Great window into this world. The book needed some editing, but I really enjoyed it.

[Lily B · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful little book, a speedy read with some powerful insights.

[James G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this in less than 24 hours! What a fantastic read. I've learned that bit more and have a tremendous amount of respect for those past Queens 👑

[LJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the passing of his friend Craig Olsen discovers a box of letters from drag queens of the pre-Stonewall era and embarks on a journey to uncover an almost lost piece of history. It’s very rare to find first-hand accounts of queer lives from this period of history, one is far more likely to find our lives written about in sensationalised newspaper articles or police reports. This was an emotional read, have your tissues on hand.