The Stonewall Riots
Coming Out in the Streets
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
In The Stonewall Riots: Coming Out in the Streets, Gayle E. Pitman’s “fresh storytelling brings emotion and depth to the history of a movement and the establishment that served as an epicenter for social change” (Publishers Weekly).
A timely and necessary read, The Stonewall Riots helps readers understand the history and legacy of the LGBTQ+ movement. The book includes contemporary photos, newspaper clippings, and other period objects, as well as a timeline, a biography, and an index. Interviews with people involved as well as witnesses bring an immediacy to the story.
In clear prose and short chapters, the book takes readers through a history of American gay life leading up to the Riots, the Riots themselves, and the aftermath. In a starred review, Shelf Awareness noted: “With meaningful content delivered in an innovative format, The Stonewall Riots deserves to be required reading for people of all ages.”
The Stonewall Riots were a series of spontaneous, at times violent demonstrations by members of the gay (LGBTQ+) community in reaction to a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The Riots are attributed as the spark that ignited the LGBTQ+ movement.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Pitman takes a unique narrative approach to the Stonewall riots by introducing a series of meaningful objects associated with the historical event. The first of the objects is the Jefferson Livery Stable on Christopher Street, which eventually became the Stonewall Inn. Subsequent items of focus include a photograph of protestors; a statement of purpose from the Daughters of Bilitis, a gay women's organization; an NYPD nightstick ("officers were dressed in full riot gear" during the event); and a New York Times article reporting the raid. Many of the objects are symbolic cultural artifacts, such as Judy Garland's dress from The Wizard of Oz: "many people in the LGBT community see themselves and their experiences reflected in The Wizard of Oz." Pitman's fresh storytelling brings emotion and depth to the history of a movement and the establishment that served as an epicenter for social change. Back matter provides a timeline, significant notes on each object, and lists of additional resources. Ages 10 up.
