Getting the Hell Over Manhattan

When reading Hugh Ryan's When Brooklyn Was Queer, the reader may feel certain (as I did) that Ryan is perched next to you on a stool at a gay bar, whispering stories of queer trysts, losses, and triumphs in your ear as you ironically down Manhattans. Ryan captivatingly weaves together a vibrant history of queer waterfronts, “peg houses,” communes, and scandals, which is a history also erased by highways, violence, pathologization, and morality committees. While some may be chagrined that there is yet another book on queer New York City, there are actually few extant scholarly volumes on the city's queer history, and fewer still that deemphasize a Carrie Bradshaw view of the world, i.e., queer history beyond Manhattan. Inserting new history into academic discourse, while also rereading and amplifying long adored queer people, places, and experiences for a public audience, When Brooklyn Was Queer is a profound mix...