In this reprint from 2003, Edsall (history, U. of Virginia) offers a history of homosexuality, ending with the transformative Stonewall riot of 1969; he focuses on male homosexuality until later in the book, when he discusses how lesbian subcultures strengthened in the twentieth century. He describes the origins of homosexuality, repression, how it was viewed during the Enlightenment, and subcultures in Germany, with an emphasis on England and the US. Key figures, including Oscar Wilde, Andř Gide, E.M. Forster, and John Wolfenden are discussed, as well as views about degeneracy and atavism, purity and impurity, ideas propagated to young boys, and homosexuality and psychiatry. The book is aimed at the general reader. Annotation 2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
