Place at the Table: The Gay Individual in American Society

Author:   Bruce Bawer
Publisher:   Simon & Schuster
Edition:   New edition
ISBN:  

9780671894399


Pages:   272
Publication Date:   01 October 1994
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Place at the Table: The Gay Individual in American Society


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Full Product Details

Author:   Bruce Bawer
Publisher:   Simon & Schuster
Imprint:   Simon & Schuster
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 14.00cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.289kg
ISBN:  

9780671894399


ISBN 10:   0671894390
Pages:   272
Publication Date:   01 October 1994
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  General ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   No Longer Our Product
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Reviews

Bawer brings to the volatile public discussion of homosexuality the same moral reasoning and civilized demeanor evident in his cultural criticism (The Aspect of Eternity, p. 632). This passionate, persuasive book should be the starting point for all future debate. What separates Bawer's honest and accessible argument from other polemics on homosexuality - aside from its moral perspective - is its audience. Bawer treats the opposition with respect while never compromising his goal: the triumph of reason over irrationality, acceptance over estrangement [and] love over loathing. He premises his work on the reasonable assumption that there's a vast disparity between the gay subculture and the reality of most gay life in America. The public debate has been shaped by highly vocal denizens of the urban gay ghettos, a group that has portrayed itself as sex-obsessed, irresponsible, and politically beyond the pale. Meanwhile, the conservative opposition too often frames its position in response to the subcultural stereotypes. That's no excuse, though, for right-wing homophobia and its buzzwords ( choice, recruit, advocate, abnormal, lifestyle, etc.), each of which Bawer eloquently addresses. Bawer's defense of the silent majority of gays is based in his own Christian faith and conservative values. He brilliantly exposes the social policy of denying domestic partnership rights as compilcit with the sexually permissive underground of bathhouses and porno theaters. Moreover, not only does he address Bible-based anti-gay attitudes, but he defuses the anti-family posturing of both the gay radicals and their right-wing counterparts. At his best, Bawer depoliticizes a subject overcharged with rhetoric, reminding us that there's really no reason for shock value. To call Bawer's subtle narrative centrist misses its truly post-ideological significance. Bawer artfully weaves autobiography into his eloquent defense of the common sense that exists somewhere between closeted denial and outrageous activism. This could be the crossover book many have been waiting for - plain and sane talk about a complex issue. (Kirkus Reviews)


Author Information

Bruce Bawer is a well-known cultural critic and the author of The Aspect of Eternity and Diminishing Fictions. He lives in New York City.

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