(GayWebSource.com – Gay Media & Press Network) – Posted by Jake Simpson – TheGayUK.com
For the past 50 years, Martin Duberman’s ground- breaking historical, biographical and memoir writings have established him as a preeminent public intellectual.
by Chris Bridges | 29th September 2013
★★★★
Duberman is best known for his provocative books about the gay rights movement, as well as acclaimed biographies of singer and civil rights activist Paul Robeson and writer and impresario Lincoln Kirstein. The Martin Duberman Reader assembles the core of Duberman’s most important and most celebrated writings in one volume.
If you’re anything like me then you often feel that your knowledge of political activism and gay history are often sadly lacking. The writings of Duberman have helped redress this balance to some extent for me and have whetted my appetite further to explore the themes presented.
From the serious topic of the AIDS epidemic through to more light-hearted memoirs of the theatre, Duberman’s essays are that rare thing in works with gravitas: eminently readable. The book divides his essays into sections on history, biography, memoirs and politics and activism. At a time when the world continues to present us with political challenges and times of historical significance (as it always will) then this book is a pertinent read. I thoroughly enjoyed dipping in and out of this book and recommend it highly.
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