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Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood : Coming of Age in the Sixties by John D'Emilio (2022, Hardcover)

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About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherDuke University Press

ISBN-101478015926

ISBN-139781478015925

eBay Product ID (ePID)7050430654

Product Key Features

Book TitleMemories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood : Coming of Age in the Sixties

Number of Pages277 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2022

TopicUnited States / 20th Century, Sociology / General, Lgbt Studies / Gay Studies, Lgbt

IllustratorYes

GenreSocial Science, Biography & Autobiography, History

AuthorJohn D'emilio

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height0.9 in

Item Weight17.1 Oz

Item Length9.5 in

Item Width6.3 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2021-050641

Dewey Edition23

ReviewsD'Emilio, who has been an eminent historian of the American gay man's experience and struggle during his lifetime, has turned his searching eye inward and now gives us a different kind of history--one that's pegged to his own life, loves and learnings. Every page is fork-tender with emotion, and to be honest, in my mind's eye, I imagined him going back to a huge file of every sweet or difficult or thoughtful observation he'd ever excised from one of his academic books and sewing them together with hindsight for this volume., Unusual among today's memoirs, this one is upbeat and generous spirited about its author's early life and challenges. . . . The author's compassionate spirit suffuses the text to such a degree that one hopes for a future continuation into his years as a professional historian. A warm, humane coming-of-age memoir. . . ., In this fascinating self-portrait and insightful portrait of his times, a prominent queer historian recalls growing up in the 1950s and '60s--a smart, pious, conservative, Catholic boy from a working class, Italian family in the Bronx, transforms himself into a radical left, openly gay Columbia University student., "D'Emilio's youthful reminiscences make for a classic work of literature that deserves a wide readership. One hopes this memoir is only the first in a succession." (Starred Review), In this fascinating self-portrait and insightful portrait of his times, a prominent queer historian recalls growing up in the 1950s and '60s--a smart, pious, conservative, Catholic boy from a working-class Italian family in the Bronx transforms himself into a radical left, openly gay Columbia University student., What makes Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood unique is its unparalleled commingling of historical worlds in twentieth century American history: the ethnic, Catholic neighborhood; the Jesuit classroom; the gay subculture of mid-century New York; and campus war protests of the 1960s. In this intimate memoir, accomplished historian John D'Emilio delivers a story, his, that brings them all to life., [D'Emilio's] memoir is a love letter to Manhattan. but also to the Bronx of his childhood, to the schools that educated and occasionally hindered him, to the family members who nourished him--even when they no longer understood him--so he would someday find his life's work. . . . Based on the many pleasures offered by this book, I hope he decides to write the sequel., In Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood , D'Emilio creates a captivating, and often charming, narrative of growing up in a world that went against his true self. . . . D'Emilio's work is not only a welcome addition to the evergrowing field of LGBTQ history, but also a chronicle of the influence of differing ethnic and cultural backgrounds in twentieth-century America., As D'Emilio applies his skills as an acclaimed social and cultural historian to his own youth, Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood offers us a caring and thoughtful window into a time of enormous change in American society and the Catholic Church. His account is warm and gracious; he is quick to acknowledge his own limitations while acknowledging the crucial role of his friends and family in shaping and loving the gay Catholic man he became.

Dewey Decimal306.7662092

Table Of ContentPreface ix Part I. An Italian Boy from the Bronx 1. An Italian Family 3 2. Big Grandma's House 11 3. School: Becoming a Big Boy 17 4. Baby Jim 25 5. Change, and More Change 32 6. A Family of Friends 40 7. God Help Me! 49 8. A Beginning and an End 57 Part II. A Jesuit Education 9. A Whole New World 65 10. Striving to Win 76 11. My Sexual Desires 84 12. Another Ending 94 13. Working in the City 105 Part III. Everything Changes 14. God Is Dead 119 15. War and Peace 128 16. This Is Me 140 17. I Come Out, Sort Of 148 18. Her Name Is Margaret Mead 160 19. And Then I Studied 169 20. Now What Do I Do? 182 21. A Door Opens 194 Postscript 205 Acknowledgments 207

SynopsisMemories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood is John D'Emilio's coming-of-age story in which he takes readers from his working-class Bronx neighborhood and Columbia University to New York's hidden gay male subculture and the political and social upheavals of the late 1960s., John D'Emilio is one of the leading historians of his generation and a pioneering figure in the field of LGBTQ history. At times his life has been seemingly at odds with his upbringing. How does a boy from an Italian immigrant family in which everyone unfailingly went to confession and Sunday Mass become a lapsed Catholic? How does a family who worshipped Senator Joseph McCarthy and supported Richard Nixon produce an antiwar activist and pacifist? How does a family in which the word divorce was never spoken raise a son who comes to explore the hidden gay sexual underworld of New York City? Memories of a Gay Catholic Boyhood is D'Emilio's coming-of-age story in which he takes readers from his working-class Bronx neighborhood to an elite Jesuit high school in Manhattan to Columbia University and the political and social upheavals of the late 1960s. He shares his personal experiences of growing up in a conservative, tight-knit, multigenerational family, how he went from considering entering the priesthood to losing his faith and coming to terms with his same-sex desires. Throughout, D'Emilio outlines his complicated relationship with his family while showing how his passion for activism influenced his decision to use research, writing, and teaching to build a strong LGBTQ movement. This is not just John D'Emilio's personal story; it opens a window into how the conformist baby boom decade of the 1950s transformed into the tumultuous years of radical social movements and widespread protest during the 1960s. It is the story of what happens when different cultures and values collide and the tensions and possibilities for personal discovery and growth that emerge. Intimate and honest, D'Emilio's story will resonate with anyone who has had to chart their own path in a world they did not expect to find.

LC Classification NumberHQ75.8.D44A3 2022