We Set the Night on Fire: Igniting the Gay Revolution

by Martha Shelley

We Set the Night on Fire is the story of Martha Shelley’s roots as the daughter of refugees and undocumented immigrants in New York in the 1940s and '50s, and her development as a political activist and a central figure in the intersection of the gay and women’s movements of the 1960s and '70s. 

Shelley describes her childhood during the McCarthy era and subsequent civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements and her struggles coming out as a lesbian at a time when being gay made her a criminal.

She rose to become a public speaker for the Daughters of Bilitis, organized the first gay march in response to Stonewall, and then cofounded the Gay Liberation Front. She coproduced the newspaper Come Out!, worked on the women’s takeover of Rat newspaper, and took a central role in the Lavender Menace action.

Martha Shelley’s story is a feminist and lesbian document that gives context and adds necessary humanity to the historical record.

Genres: Nonfiction, Queer, LGBT, History, Politics, Lesbian, Memoir

224 pages, Hardcover

First published June 13, 2023

Reviews

[jac · Rating 5 out of 5]

the big finish with the embezzlement x dyke drama x callout posts reminded me somethings never change ❤️

[Brad Yazzolino · Rating 5 out of 5]

Martha Shelley's book "We Set The Night On Fire,  Igniting the Gay Revolution" is the vivid account of her life as a young lesbian who even in 1964, was at the forefront of the struggle for real changes in American life. It is a wise and good spirited book that accurately reflects so much of what "underground" radical progressive life was like in the 70s, 80s and after.  At the end of the book she gives her advice to young activists today. Activism and resistance is so important now that the world's methods of surveillance and control have become so hard to circumvent. It's best if you read her own words, but I will summarize this advice as: 
1. Make connections with other social movements.
2. We have to keep fighting! Someone is always trying to take our rights away.
3. You don't need advice from your elders. You are the leaders.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aww I absolutely loved this! It wasn’t necessarily a page turner, but a great read on lesbian history. The author talks about her life & work on different social justice movements. Such a wonderful read during pride month🫶

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stories from a writer and activist centrally involved in gay rights and women's rights movements, focusing mostly on 60's and early 70's when she was a young adult, as well as her growing up in NYC as a Jewish lesbian.

Not very central to the story, but it jumped out at me that she was briefly connected to the Sullivanians cult in New York, of which I'd never heard until recently reading a book about them.

Likely of more general interest is her story about happening upon the Stonewall Uprising while giving a walking tour to some visitors from Boston: "'What's going on?' Pat exclaimed. 'It's just a riot,' I replied, assuming we'd encountered yet another antiwar demonstration. 'We have them all the time' (pp. 96-97). Only later did the word get out that something significant had happened, and a month afterward the author had organized a sizable protest march.

Lots of insider accounts of turbulence in one or another activist group, project, or even road trip with friends. I guess one takeaway would be that even if you're all committed to the same political and societal goals there is still the same mix of difficult personalities, credit seekers, corruption, financial malfeasance, etc. as might seem predictable in a regular business.

Very good writer with strong points of view on, of course, politics but also the people she ran across. Only thing keeping it from 5 stars for me was the loose structure -- it's less a coherent memoir, let alone history of "gay revolution," and more a series of anecdotes, to be sure many of them fascinating.

[Bryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I heard Martha Shelley read at an event, and I was so moved by her poetry and the brief biography shared at the event, I wanted to know more! I met her briefly and she was so kind and lovely.
However, "We Set the Night On Fire" was rather disappointing. Though the memoir is about deeply personal topics and hugely influential moments in the history of the gay rights movement, it felt strangely cold and clinical. Peppered with anecdotes and name drops, but presented in a sequential, dry manner. There was no strong narrative arc to the decades Shelley chose to focus on, and I was surprised by the book's abrupt ending in 1978.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading We Set the Night on Fire. It was smart and unpretentious; I felt like I was in Shelley's pocket, inciting passion for change, sharing intimacy with fellow comrades, dirty deeds over a mink coat. The urgency to teach her wisdom and hope is felt throughout. We, the younger generations and next wave, would be wise to take a page- a bunch of pages from Shelley's book, continuing to pass the torch and say "fuck you" to the pharaohs.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great switch up from my regularly scheduled programming

this was a great book and I really enjoyed it. it’s well written and the author is a great storyteller.

it’s important to learn the history that brought us to where we are today.

[jordan mogul]

lots of interesting anecdotes and stories about shelley’s time as an activist in the gay rights and women’s liberation movements. a bit cut and dry as far as memoirs go, but i would still highly recommend, esp for anyone interested in lesbian history.

[Shavell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book but I can’t do another non fiction this year. I didn’t finish the book because I don’t have the mental capacity

[Izzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Desiree · Rating 4 out of 5]

Martha Shelley is so slay but I fear storytelling is not for her

[Olivia Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book club girlies agree - Shelley has lived an incredible and IMPACTFUL life, but storytelling may not be her forte 😭😭

[Adam C C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit pedestrian, but a story that must be told and should be read.