This month, Yale University Press London staff voted for their favourite book on the theme of ‘Pride‘. Find out which books they recommended and why.
June’s Staff Pick: Fabulous
Fabulous: The Rise of the Beautiful Eccentric by Madison Moore received the most votes from our staff and is this month’s Staff Pick.
An exploration of what it means to be fabulous—and why eccentric style, fashion, and creativity are more political than ever
Maria Zygogianni, Marketing Campaigns Executive voted for Fabulous as it “highlights underrepresented aspects of the LGBTQIA+ culture and history, such as balls and voguing culture”.
Speaking about the author, Maria adds that ‘Madison Moore is a star! Combo of academic and dj, he is not only very knowledgeable but also has lived experience of the communities he writes about.’
“Fabulous does not simply track new club worlds, it takes us to them. The book does not just tell us about fashion and clubs, it is immersed in the scenes it conjures. This is engaging, relevant, and glamorous.” —Jack Halberstam, author of Female Masculinity and The Queer Art of Failure
“Fabulous lives up to its title. Who knew there was such riveting sociopolitical drama behind those velvet ropes?”—New York Times Book Review
Harvey Milk: His Lives and Death by Lillian Faderman
Andrew Jarmain, Head of UK Sales voted this brilliant book because “I think it shows what a brave person Harvey Milk was, to do what he did when he did it, so the book does its part in helping him be understood, he was the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the United States but took some time to find his way.”
On his experience selling the book, Andrew found, “The Jewish Lives series is such a brilliant and broad project. I liked selling the book because it surprised people sometimes – some knew Harvey Milk from the Sean Penn 2008 film, so I could tell them about this book and the 1984 documentary ‘The Times of Harvey Milk’ at the same time. Telling Harvey Milk’s story to sell the book was quite inspiring.”
Lillian’s responsibility of telling Harvey’s story, “Lillian Faderman is a great guide to Harvey Milk’s many sides, and shows that his understanding and willingness to stand up to injustice came in part from the values of his Jewish upbringing and his experience of anti-Semitism.”
You can find more books in the Jewish Lives series here
Other Recommendations
Editorial Director, Mark Eastment simply could not choose any one book as he rightly said ‘there are too many great books here and I could easily have added a couple more’. Instead, he has reviewed his top three choices below.
Gluck: Art and Identity by edited by Amy de la Haye and Martin Pel, Glyn Philpot: Flesh and Spirit by Simon Martin and John Craxton by Ian Collins
Honouring the journey of LGBTQIA+ individuals, Mark points out ‘In very different ways they each show the courage and challenges of being gay in the middle of the last century and how each of these artists produced some incredible art work in very different social milieus. Gluck came from a rich Jewish family associated with the Lyons Tea Rooms, dressed as a man and whose art shows art deco at its very best. John Craxton was studying and drinking in London during and after the war, enjoying a brief artistic friendship Lucian Freud before discovering the freedom of living in the Mediterranean and finally Glyn Philpot whose society portraits on a par with those of Sargent made him the toast of London before ending in financial ruin with his controversial homosexual imagery which was rejected by the RA. They are all very good reads and beautifully illustrated too – I would have to say that of course – but it’s true.’
On his experience working with these authors, Mark adds ‘Great on all counts and always a joy to discover the work of new artists and explore their back story.’
Read more about the books here
Also of interest
Featured image: Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash
