Secret city : the hidden history of gay Washington / James Kirchick.
For decades, the specter of homosexuality haunted Washington. The mere suggestion that a person might be gay destroyed reputations, ended careers, and ruined lives. At the height of the Cold War, fear of homosexuality became intertwined with the growing threat of international communism, leading to a purge of gay men and lesbians from the federal government. In the fevered atmosphere of political Washington, the secret "too loathsome to mention" paradoxically held enormous, terrifying power. Utilizing thousands of pages of declassified documents, interviews with over one hundred people, and material unearthed from presidential libraries and archives around the country, Secret City: The Hidden History of Gay Washington, from FDR through Clinton is a chronicle of American politics like no other. Beginning with the tragic story of Sumner Welles, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's brilliant diplomatic advisor and the man at the center of "the greatest national scandal since the existence of the United States," award-winning journalist and author James Kirchick illuminates how the idea of homosexuality shaped each successive presidential administration, impacting everything from the creation of America's earliest civilian intelligence agency to the rise and fall of McCarthyism, the struggle for African American civil rights, and the conservative movement. Celebrating the men and women who courageously decided that the source of their private shame could instead be galvanized for public pride, Kirchick offers a reinterpretation of American history told from the perspective of the citizens who lived in its shadows. Sweeping in scope and intimate in detail, Secret City will forever transform our understanding of American history.
Record details
- ISBN: 9781627792325 (hardcover)
- ISBN: 1627792325 (hardcover)
- Physical Description: xviii, 826 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map ; 25 cm
- Edition: First edition.
- Publisher: New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2022.
- Copyright: ©2022
Content descriptions
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 664-682) and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Dramatis personae -- Introduction: Comrades -- Franklin Delano Roosevelt -- Harry Truman -- Dwight Eisenhower -- John F. Kennedy - Lyndon B. Johnson -- Richard Nixon -- Gerald Ford -- Jimmy Carter -- Ronald Reagan -- George H.W. Bush -- Bill Clinton -- Conclusion: The gay century. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Homophobia > Washington (D.C.) > History > 20th century. Heterosexism > Washington (D.C.) > History > 20th century. Gays > Washington (D.C.) > History > 20th century. |
Available copies
- 18 of 18 copies available at SPARK Libraries.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 18 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albright Memorial Library | 306.76 KIRCHIC (Text) | 50686016197456 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Altoona Area Public Library | 306.76 KIR (Text) | 33240005143014 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Annie Halenbake Ross Library | 306.76 Kir (Text) | 00155211 | ADULT Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Bedford County Library | 306.76 K (Text) | 35010001096575 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Cambria County Library | 306.76 K585s (Text) | 85131001831487 | CACM Non-Fiction | Available | - |
Carbondale Public Library | 306.76 KIRCHIC (Text) | 50688010817626 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Indian Valley Public Library | 306.76 Kirchick History (Text) | 39427103663506 | Nonfiction Room: Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |
Martin Library | Adults 306.76 KIR Life Times (Text) | 33454005878715 | 2nd Floor | Available | - |
Montrose | 306.76 KIRC (Text) | 37000009438919 | SSQM Main Floor | Available | - |
Pottsville Free Public Library | 306.76 K632 (Text) | 30003009103688 | Adult Nonfiction | Available | - |