-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
by Michael Bronski
The first book to cover the entirety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history, from pre-1492 to the present.
Michael Bronski's A Queer History of the United States is truly among the first of its kind. Engaging and thought-provoking, it's more than a sweeping survey--the book radically challenges how we understand queer American history. Both comprehensive and accessible, A Queer History of the United States restores the visibility of people relegated to the margins of history to make the provocative claim that LGBT history is American history.
"Starred Review. A lucid, cerebral treatise on gay culture from the point of view of a clever historian who maintains that 'the heritage of LGBT people is the heritage of Americans.' Required reading for both established and newly emerging members of the gay community - and far beyond." - Kirkus Reviews
"Starred Review. A savvy political, legal, literary (and even fashion) history, Bronski's narrative is as intellectually rigorous as it is entertaining." - Publishers Weekly
“In the age of Twitter and reductive history, we need a complex, fully realized, radical reassessment of history - and A Queer History of the United States is exactly that. Along the way, there are enough revelations and reassessments to fuel dozens of arguments about how we got to where we are today. I don’t know when I have enjoyed a history so much." - Dorothy Allison, author of Bastard Out of Carolina
This information about A Queer History of the United States was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Michael Bronski is senior lecturer in women's and gender studies and in Jewish studies at Dartmouth College. He has written extensively on LGBT issues for four decades, in both mainstream and queer publications, and is the author of three books.
If you liked A Queer History of the United States, try these:
by Carvell Wallace
Published 2025
A transformative memoir that reimagines the conventions of love and posits a radical vision for healing.
by Lori Ostlund
Published 2025
Nine exquisite stories that explore class, desire, identity, and the specter of violence that looms daily over women and the LGBTQ+ community.
by Tom Crewe
Published 2024
A brilliant and captivating debut, in the tradition of Alan Hollinghurst and Colm Tóibín, about two marriages, two forbidden love affairs, and the passionate search for social and sexual freedom in late 19th-century London.
L.A. Women by Ella Berman
Two ambitious writers in 1960s LA face betrayal when one writes a novel based on the other's life.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
