Scan barcode
kitsuneheart's review against another edition
4.0
A survey of art featuring homoerotic themes and general same-sex desires. Parkinson does a great job of describing each artwork, but also the place of same-sex desire in each society that produced the works. It makes a brief survey of the changing opinions of same-sex relationships, from nigh-institutionalized in ancient Rome and Greece, to villified in the dark and middle ages, and finally nearing acceptance in the modern day.
The "Little" in the title is right, though. The book goes fast, and it leaves you wishing it was a bit longer. It's short to go along with other little history books, though, so it's understandable.
This could be a fairly good pick for a queer friend, perhaps along with a little model of one of the artworks. Or tickets to go to Britain and its museums. :)
The "Little" in the title is right, though. The book goes fast, and it leaves you wishing it was a bit longer. It's short to go along with other little history books, though, so it's understandable.
This could be a fairly good pick for a queer friend, perhaps along with a little model of one of the artworks. Or tickets to go to Britain and its museums. :)
nevermoregothic's review against another edition
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia and Sexual content
Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Sexual assault
nearfutures's review against another edition
4.0
A Little Gay History is a succinct introduction to the history of global same-sex desire, explored through the lens of objects in the British Museum. The bulk of the book is various artifact profiles from 9000 BC to 1997, discussing their features, meaning, and culture context. An archaeologist specializing in one of these eras/cultures might find it rudimentary but this book is not called A Dissertation On Same-Sex Desire In The Han Dynasty, it’s A Little Gay History, and I’m not an archaeologist. It was a quick and accessible read would be a wonderful coffee table book if my new apartment had a coffee table.
Two minor quibbles:
• The introduction could have done more to explain how gender nonconformity and same-sex desire and sex acts have merged and shifted into contemporary gay identity (think Halperin’s "How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality"); the front cover says "gay" but the introduction claims to cover gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender history. I can see where it is coming from but without additional context the book seems (and is, to an extent) disproportionately weighted towards gay male history. Which would be a fine project but not what the book purports to pursue.
• All of the artifacts are from the British Museum, and I think partially as a result the book is very light on non-ancient Egyptian African and Latin American gay history.
Two minor quibbles:
• The introduction could have done more to explain how gender nonconformity and same-sex desire and sex acts have merged and shifted into contemporary gay identity (think Halperin’s "How to Do the History of Male Homosexuality"); the front cover says "gay" but the introduction claims to cover gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender history. I can see where it is coming from but without additional context the book seems (and is, to an extent) disproportionately weighted towards gay male history. Which would be a fine project but not what the book purports to pursue.
• All of the artifacts are from the British Museum, and I think partially as a result the book is very light on non-ancient Egyptian African and Latin American gay history.
winterlelie's review against another edition
3.0
The book is a nice introduction to a queer interpretation of art, but that bothered me as well about it: the niceness. The book works so hard not to offend anyone by almost apologising for the subject matter. Writing about queer art is to take a stand: we queer people have always been here, despite the collective effort to erase us from the history books and museums. A book trying to right this wrong shouldn't be apologetic about it.
jugglingpup's review against another edition
4.0
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I picked this book up on a whim at the library. The BPL had just gotten it in so I gave it a shot. I am not a fan of history so bear that in mind.
The book was short and mostly based on artifacts that have been found. For each part of history that was discussed there was a bowl, plate, statue, or other artifact recovered that was used as an example of being from that time period. It was a new way for me to conceptualize gay history, so while the artifacts did nothing for me visually it sort of solidified the time periods in my head.
While gay is often used to mean anyone not straight this book like so many others pretended to be all about the whole gay community but instead focused on gay men. There were a few artifacts about lesbians, but there were none on bisexuals or any other not straight identities. While this is disappointing, it is not unexpected.
Overall the book was informative and easy to read. It was in chronological order and very point blank. There were a few times where the book referenced later works or earlier works, but they were all works that were included in the book so there was not an expectation of previous knowledge on the subject. The book while it was a beginner book was not overly simplistic. It was a book that a range of experiences could enjoy.
I picked this book up on a whim at the library. The BPL had just gotten it in so I gave it a shot. I am not a fan of history so bear that in mind.
The book was short and mostly based on artifacts that have been found. For each part of history that was discussed there was a bowl, plate, statue, or other artifact recovered that was used as an example of being from that time period. It was a new way for me to conceptualize gay history, so while the artifacts did nothing for me visually it sort of solidified the time periods in my head.
While gay is often used to mean anyone not straight this book like so many others pretended to be all about the whole gay community but instead focused on gay men. There were a few artifacts about lesbians, but there were none on bisexuals or any other not straight identities. While this is disappointing, it is not unexpected.
Overall the book was informative and easy to read. It was in chronological order and very point blank. There were a few times where the book referenced later works or earlier works, but they were all works that were included in the book so there was not an expectation of previous knowledge on the subject. The book while it was a beginner book was not overly simplistic. It was a book that a range of experiences could enjoy.
z3r081's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.0
kstookley's review against another edition
3.0
Cute coffee table book, using objects from the British museum to exemplify lgbtq lives throughout history and the world. Good for what it is, but impossible to forget that this was written by and for the imperialists/colonizers who condemned queer identity and practice so much so that it is still erased (if not criminalized) in the nation's affected. Also, it was written in 2013, so less than ideal language about trans folks in particular.