THE STORY: Nestled in the Catskills—1962's land of dirty dancing and Borscht Belt comedy—an inconspicuous bungalow colony catered to a very special clientele: heterosexual men who delighted in dressing and acting as women. These white-collar professionals would discreetly escape their families to spend their weekends safely inhabiting their chosen female alter-egos. But given the opportunity to share their secret lives with the world, the members of this sorority had to decide whether the freedom gained by openness was worth the risk of personal ruin. Based on real events and infused with Fierstein's trademark wit, this moving, insightful, and delightfully entertaining work offers a glimpse into the lives of a group of "self-made women" as they search for acceptance and happiness in their very own Garden of Eden.
This is an album of snapshots taken roughly the mid-1950s and mid- 1960s, depicting a group of cross-dressers united around a place called Casa Susanna. The inhabitants, guests and visitors used it as a weekend headquarters for a regular girls life'. Through these wonderfully intimate shots, Susanna and her friends styled era- specific fashion shows and parties. However, it is in the more private life at Casa Susanna, where the girls clean, cook and play Scrabble, that the insight to a very private club becomes brilliant in its very ordinariness.'
NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • A poignant and hilarious memoir from the cultural icon, gay rights activist, and four-time Tony Award–winning actor and playwright, revealing never-before-told stories of his personal struggles and conflict, of sex and romance, and of his fabled career Harvey Fierstein’s legendary career has transported him from community theater in Brooklyn, to the lights of Broadway, to the absurd excesses of Hollywood and back. He’s received accolades and awards for acting in and/or writing an incredible string of hit plays, films, and TV shows: Hairspray, Fiddler on the Roof, Mrs. Doubtfire, Independence Day, Cheers, La Cage Aux Folles, Torch Song Trilogy, Newsies, and Kinky Boots. While he has never shied away from the spotlight, Mr. Fierstein says that even those closest to him have never heard most of the tales—of personal struggles and conflict, of sex and romance, of his fabled career—revealed in these wildly entertaining pages. I Was Better Last Night bares the inner life of this eccentric nonconforming child from his roots in 1952 Brooklyn, to the experimental worlds of Andy Warhol and the Theatre of the Ridiculous, to the gay rights movements of the seventies and the tumultuous AIDS crisis of the eighties, through decades of addiction, despair, and ultimate triumph. Mr. Fierstein’s candid recollections provide a rich window into downtown New York City life, gay culture, and the evolution of theater (of which he has been a defining figure), as well as a moving account of his family’s journey of acceptance. I Was Better Last Night is filled with wisdom gained, mistakes made, and stories that come together to describe an astonishingly colorful and meaningful life. Lucky for us all, his unique and recognizable voice is as engaging, outrageously funny, and vulnerable on the page.
This book provides a crucial resource for readers who are investigating trans issues. It takes a diverse and historic approach, focusing on more than one idea or one experience of trans identity or trans history. Transgender: A Reference Handbook is a go-to resource about the transgender experience. The book takes contemporary as well as historic aspects into consideration. It looks at ancient indigenous cultures that honored third, fourth, and fifth gender identities as well as more contemporary ideas of what "transgender" means. Notably, it focuses not only on Western medical ideas of gender affirmation but on cultural diversity surrounding the topic. This book will primarily serve as a reference guide and jumping off point for further research for those seeking information about what it means to be transgender. While a reference book, it contains original work that may be cited in addition to the encyclopedia itself. In particular, the perspectives section of the book includes writings from some of the world's foremost trans writers, activists, artists, and historians.
Escape to Italy with the brand-new romcom from the author of You Had Me at Halloumi When Ramona's dream to launch a size-inclusive fashion line comes crashing down she decides it is time for a bold change. Realising there is little inclusivity in the exclusive world of haute couture, Ramona bids ciao for now to her old life and heads to Milan for fashion inspiration (and gelato). Thrown off course, she rents a room in a Tuscan village where the locals are sceptical - particularly the infuriating Marco, who seems to be there whenever Ramona makes a fool of herself. Which is often. Can a year in Tuscany get her life back on track? And will Ramona discover amore when she least expects it? Ginger Jones is back with her next laugh-out-loud, mouth-watering tale from the rolling fields of sun-drenched Italy. Add a dash of romance to your life with this tale that's sure to satisfy your appetite . . . Praise for You Had Me At Halloumi 'It is pure fabulous escapism, perfect for poolside reading' Rachel's Random Reads 'Fun and quirky romcom!' ''I devoured this book in two days, it is such a fun read.' 'Perfect for a sunny afternoon' 'This mouth watering and sunny story is the epitome of escapism'
Listen to audio lessons, while you read along! Buy or sample now! Interactive. Effective. And FUN! Start speaking Spanish in minutes, and learn key vocabulary, phrases, and grammar in just minutes more with Learn Spanish - Level 4: Beginner, a completely new way to learn Spanish with ease! Learn Spanish - Level 4: Beginner will arm you with Spanish and cultural insight to utterly shock and amaze your Spanish-speaking friends and family, teachers, and colleagues. What you get in Learn Spanish - Level 4: Beginner: - 140+ pages of Spanish learning material - 25 Spanish lessons: dialog transcripts with translation, vocabulary, sample sentences and a grammar section - 25 Audio Lesson Tracks (over 3 hours of Spanish lessons) - 25 Audio Review Tracks (practice new words and phrases) - 25 Audio Dialog Tracks (read along while you listen) This book is the most powerful way to learn Spanish. Guaranteed. You get the two most powerful components of our language learning system: the audio lessons and lesson notes. Why are the audio lessons so effective? - 25 powerful and to the point - syllable-by-syllable breakdown of each word and phrase so that you can say every word and phrase instantly - repeat after the professional teacher to practice proper pronunciation - cultural insight and insider-only tips from our teachers in each lesson - fun and relaxed approach to learning - effortlessly learn from bi-lingual and bi-cultural hosts as they guide you through the pitfalls and pleasures of Spanish-speaking countries and Spanish. Why are the lesson notes so effective? - improve listening comprehension and reading comprehension by reading the dialog transcript while listening to the conversation - grasp the exact meaning of phrases and expressions with natural translations - expand your word and phrase usage with the expansion section - master and learn to use Spanish grammar with the grammar section Discover or rediscover how fun learning a language can be with the future of language learning, and start speaking Spanish instantly!
Thoroughly researched and lucidly written, guidebooks don't come much better than this one. Excellent sections on vineyards and wine-tasting, history, and trekking and outdoor pursuits round out this professional publication recommended for Chile newcomers and old-hands alike. Illustrations.
The Catskills (“Cat Creek” in Dutch), America’s original frontier, northwest of New York City, with its seven hundred thousand acres of forest land preserve and its five counties—Delaware, Greene, Sullivan, Ulster, Schoharie; America’s first great vacationland; the subject of the nineteenth-century Hudson River School paintings that captured the almost godlike majesty of the mountains and landscapes, the skies, waterfalls, pastures, cliffs . . . refuge and home to poets and gangsters, tycoons and politicians, preachers and outlaws, musicians and spiritualists, outcasts and rebels . . . Stephen Silverman and Raphael Silver tell of the turning points that made the Catskills so vital to the development of America: Henry Hudson’s first spotting the distant blue mountains in 1609; the New York State constitutional convention, resulting in New York’s own Declaration of Independence from Great Britain and its own constitution, causing the ire of the invading British army . . . the Catskills as a popular attraction in the 1800s, with the construction of the Catskill Mountain House and its rugged imitators that offered WASP guests “one-hundred percent restricted” accommodations (“Hebrews will knock vainly for admission”), a policy that remained until the Catskills became the curative for tubercular patients, sending real-estate prices plummeting and the WASP enclave on to richer pastures . . . Here are the gangsters (Jack “Legs” Diamond and Dutch Schultz, among them) who sought refuge in the Catskill Mountains, and the resorts that after World War II catered to upwardly mobile Jewish families, giving rise to hundreds of hotels inspired by Grossinger’s, the original “Disneyland with knishes”—the Concord, Brown’s Hotel, Kutsher’s Hotel, and others—in what became known as the Borscht Belt and Sour Cream Alps, with their headliners from movies and radio (Phil Silvers, Eddie Cantor, Milton Berle, et al.), and others who learned their trade there, among them Moss Hart (who got his start organizing summer theatricals), Sid Caesar, Lenny Bruce, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Joan Rivers. Here is a nineteenth-century America turning away from England for its literary and artistic inspiration, finding it instead in Washington Irving’s “Rip Van Winkle” and his childhood recollections (set in the Catskills) . . . in James Fenimore Cooper’s adventure-romances, which provided a pastoral history, describing the shift from a colonial to a nationalist mentality . . . and in the canvases of Thomas Cole, Asher B. Durand, Frederick Church, and others that caught the grandeur of the wilderness and that gave texture, color, and form to Irving’s and Cooper’s imaginings. Here are the entrepreneurs and financiers who saw the Catskills as a way to strike it rich, plundering the resources that had been likened to “creation,” the Catskills’ tanneries that supplied the boots and saddles for Union troops in the Civil War . . . and the bluestone quarries whose excavated rock became the curbs and streets of the fast-growing Eastern Seaboard. Here are the Catskills brought fully to life in all of their intensity, beauty, vastness, and lunacy.
This guide to Chile refreshingly focuses on the country's natural history and culture. It encompasses every aspect of this geographically diverse country, from the immense deserts and peaks in the north, via the fertile central valleys, to the dense rainforests and glaciers of the south. There is opportunity to discover the culture of Chile, including mummies from the 5th century BC found in the Atacama Desert and Inca ruins. Travellers can hike the Andes, savour fine and affordable wine, and venture off shore to sail and kayak. This guide details every aspect of travel, from accommodation and eating out to national parks and sailing, in this most easy of Latin American countries for independent travellers.
With a focus on historic sites, this volume explores the recent history of non- heteronormative Americans from the early twentieth century onward and the places associated with these communities. Authors explore how queer identities are connected with specific places: places where people gather, socialize, protest, mourn, and celebrate. The focus is deeper look at how sexually variant and gender non-conforming Americans constructed identity, created communities, and fought to have rights recognized by the government. Each chapter is accompanied by prompts and activities that invite readers to think critically and immerse themselves in the subject matter while working collaboratively with others.
