Queer Newark

"The book snuffs out the dominant view of the city, one ethnography and endnote at a time. . . . The whole book is a marvel. . . . Books on queer life outside the largest US cities remain rare, and for Newark and New Jersey they are almost nonexistent. . . . Queer Newark is the first but, one hopes, not the last of its kind. . . . As well as preserving queer stories and scenes that might have gone undocumented, Queer Newark seeks to re-eroticize the hood. While academic queer theory too often neglects the classed dimensions of sexuality, most of the book's chapters explicitly center working-class and queer people of color struggling with the material effects of ghettoization."---n+1

"A rich and varied history. . . . The essays come alive with deeply personal accounts of individual lives across three-quarters of a century. . . . By the time I'd finished reading Queer Newark, I felt that I had not only absorbed some fascinating history but also had formed relationships with many of its key characters."

---The Gay & Lesbian Review

"With the stories recorded by the Queer Newark Oral History Project, Brick City now gets its place in queer history."---Jersey's Best

"An eclectic tapestry of scholarship and reflection. . . . The work is a thought-provoking and interesting read, which packs a number of wide-ranging perspectives and history into its manageable 11 chapters. Providing intimate glimpses and provoking abstract philosophical thought, it is well worth the read."---The Newarker

"Charts an alternative history of LGBTQ+ life in America, highlighting the essential and often overlooked contributions of working-class people of color. Drawing from a range of ethnographic and archival sources, this collection's authors uncover central actors from Newark's queer past and the importance of queer sites, such as bars, discos, ballrooms, and churches, that underlie the identity, social life, and activism of queer culture. These essays reveal how, through resistance, the queer community in Newark continues to combat violence, poverty, and homophobia and offers a sorely needed correction to the straightwashing of urban history. . . . Queer Newark is an important contribution to the restorative history of Newark and the LGBTQ+ community, especially those in smaller cities overshadowed by a larger neighboring metropolis."---New Jersey Studies: An Interdisciplinary Journal

"While it amazes me to be part of any history, I was honored to have been included in the queer history of Newark, New Jersey. Working with the LGBTQ+ community, I had no idea I was helping to create a stronger, more resilient story. Queer Newark documents our journeys, with the end result being this must-read tome." 

"Reading Queer Newark: Stories of Resistance, Love, and Community felt like being on a treasure hunt uncovering golden nuggets of queer history that are woven in the everyday life of Newark yet hidden in plain sight. Thanks for bringing the history of the Newark queer community into the light!"