Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation

Written by:
Robert W. Fieseler
Narrated by:
Paul Heitsch

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
2
Narrator
2
Release Date
June 2018
Duration
11 hours 26 minutes
Summary
Buried for decades, the Up Stairs Lounge tragedy has only recently emerged as a catalyzing event of the gay liberation movement. In revelatory detail, Robert W. Fieseler chronicles the tragic event that claimed the lives of thirty-one men and one woman on June 24, 1973, at a New Orleans bar, the largest mass murder of gays until 2016. Relying on unprecedented access to survivors and archives, Fieseler creates an indelible portrait of a closeted, blue-collar gay world that flourished before an arsonist ignited an inferno that destroyed an entire community. The aftermath was no less traumatic-families ashamed to claim loved ones, the Catholic Church refusing proper burial rights, the city impervious to the survivors' needs-revealing a world of toxic prejudice that thrived well past Stonewall. Yet the impassioned activism that followed proved essential to the emergence of a fledgling gay movement. Tinderbox restores honor to a forgotten generation of civil-rights martyrs.
Reviews
Profile Avatar
Joel I.

needed to be known...haunting...tragic...triumphant...heartbreaking...i could see the fire in my mind...well written...although lots of characters, and at times, lots going on...there were a lot of characters, and a lot going on, so focus and pay attention, and you will remember who is who and what's going on...very thankful this event has been brought into the light...take care of your community and people...and reach out your hand to others...we are all connected

1 book added to cart
Subtotal
$24.99
View Cart