Review
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"Espinoza candidly inserts himself into this
striking examination with memories of his own cruising adventures
and segments of stimulating commentary on gay liberation and the
tenets of stealthy sexuality. Provocative, curious, and
noteworthy." —Kirkus Reviews
"Espinoza's painstakingly documented love letter to cruising is a
rare achievement. Not only does he excavate an oft-hidden and
-d queer history, but he also topples the myth that LGBTQ
progress conforms to a single, 'straight' narrative. In a culture
that often flattens queer stories to fit assimilationist
standards, Espinoza's book stands out as a beacon for future
queer writers, thinkers, and activists. Reading these accounts, I
felt myself drawn into a past both wonderful and strange, a world
I hope we will continue to celebrate and preserve." ―Garrard
Conley, author of Boy Erased
"Alex Espinoza's much-anticipated book takes readers on a unique
'cruise' through places of public gay-sex connections, from early
times to today's apps and sites; and the result is as lively and
entertaining as a boldly , and wonderfully written,
memoir. " ―John Rechy, author of City of Night
"Just in time for Pride Month, this is a fascinating history of
cruising as a pillar of gay culture." ―Sarah Nielson, The
Brooklyn Rail
"What makes this book so appealing is the way Espinoza combines
his own experiences of cruising with a cogent analysis of the
role of cruising... and he writes beautifully. Recommended for
LGBT and contemporary culture collections." ―Library Journal
"For a raunchier yet no less incisive take on the intricacies of
gay sex, romance and search for community, Alex Espinoza’s
Cruising: An History of a Radical Pastime takes readers
on an inspired, greatest-hits tour of public bathrooms,
bathhouses and wooded areas in cities the world over to reveal
the scintillating backstory of anonymous gay sex and its
evolution, from Greek antiquity to the present." ―Alexis
BurlingSan Francisco Chronicle
"Cruising is touching, resonant, and deeply felt... Espinoza’s
book invites us to think about the right to freedom of sexual
expression and where it fits in within the larger s of the
LGBTQ community." ―Michael Nava, Los Angeles Review of Books
"Espinoza explores the ways in which men have learned to navigate
the strict policing of same-sex intimacy. But woven throughout is
a deeply personal account of his own experiences with cruising.
The effect is a constant regrounding of a topic that could have
otherwise been rendered completely academic, a reminder to
readers that this practice is at its core deeply human." ―James
Feder, Kirkus Reviews
"Memoir is the powerful heart of Espinoza’s book, the places
where he makes us feel the power of cruising as what he calls a
'cultural identifier' of gay experience, the act that marks us as
constitutionally different from straight people." ―John Birdsall,
Los Angeles Times
"Against all they have tried to do to bury our revolutionary
past, Alex Espinoza brings it to life in a work that is equal
parts secrets shared in confidence, sweeping historical account,
and learned analysis. Against all the neutering of our social
movements and the treacly lure of assimilation, Espinoza's
fast-paced, compelling narrative shows readers the radical
community of struggle, contact and solace from which we came, and
to which we belong still." ―Jordy Rosenberg, author of
Confessions of the Fox
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About the Author
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Alex Espinoza is the author of the novels The Five
Acts of Diego Leónand Still Water Saints, a Barnes and Noble
Discover Great New Writers Selection. His writing has appeared in
the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times Magazine, NPR, Salon,
the Los Angeles Review of Books, Virginia Quarterly Review, and
elsewhere. His awards include a 2014 Fellowship in Prose from the
National Endowment for the Arts and a 2014 American Book Award
from the Before Columbus Foundation for The Five Acts of Diego
León. He lives in Los Angeles.
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