Book picks similar to
Public Sex/Gay Space by William L. Leap


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An Heiress of Holocaust: How my family survived the holocaust and the lasting effects on my life


Sarah Segal - 2020
    

SLOW DRiP: First in a series of heart-racing thrillers


Gary Polisano - 2019
    Clues and taunts left by the killer along with the knowledge held by the teenager cause the three characters to intersect in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

Perv: The Sexual Deviant in All of Us


Jesse Bering - 2013
    Whether it’s voyeurism, exhibitionism, or your run-of-the-mill foot fetish, we all possess a suite of sexual tastes as unique as our fingerprints—and as secret as the rest of the skeletons we’ve hidden in our closets.Combining cutting-edge studies and critiques of landmark research and conclusions drawn by Sigmund Freud, Alfred Kinsey, and the DSM-5, Bering pulls the curtain back on paraphilias, arguing that sexual deviance is commonplace. Bering confronts hypocrisy, prejudice, and harm as they relate to sexuality on a global scale. Humanizing so-called deviants while at the same time asking serious questions about the differences between thought and action, he presents us with a challenge: to understand that our best hope of solving some of the most troubling problems of our age hinges entirely on the amoral study of sex.

Sex and Punishment: Four Thousand Years of Judging Desire


Eric Berkowitz - 2012
    However, that's not to say that the Sumerians, Victorians, and every civilization in between and beyond have not tried, wielding their most formidable weapon: the law. At any given point in time, some forms of sex were condoned while others were punished mercilessly. Jump forward or backward a century or two (and often far less than that), and the harmless fun of one time period becomes the gravest crime in another. Sex and Punishment tells the story of the struggle throughout the millennia to regulate the most powerful engine of human behavior.Writer and lawyer Eric Berkowitz uses flesh-and-blood cases—much flesh and even more blood—to evoke the entire sweep of Western sex law, from the savage impalement of an Ancient Mesopotamian adulteress to the imprisonment of Oscar Wilde in 1895 for "gross indecency." The cast of Sex and Punishment is as varied as the forms taken by human desire itself: royal mistresses, gay charioteers, medieval transvestites, lonely goat-lovers, prostitutes of all stripes, London rent boys. Each of them had forbidden sex, and each was judged—and justice, as Berkowitz shows, rarely had much to do with it. With the light touch of a natural storyteller, Berkowitz spins these tales and more, going behind closed doors to reveal the essential history of human desire.

Begging for It


Alex Dimitrov - 2013
    A Bulgarian immigrant, Dimitrov writes as both observer of and fervent participant in this "American Youth," as his speakers navigate both the physical and emotional landscapes of desire, intimacy, and longing--whether for a friend, a lover, or a self, "Saint or stranger, I still recklessly seek you."

Impossible Desires: Queer Diasporas and South Asian Public Cultures


Gayatri Gopinath - 2005
    Focusing on queer female diasporic subjectivity, Gopinath develops a theory of diaspora apart from the logic of blood, authenticity, and patrilineal descent that she argues invariably forms the core of conventional formulations. She examines South Asian diasporic literature, film, and music in order to suggest alternative ways of conceptualizing community and collectivity across disparate geographic locations. Her agile readings challenge nationalist ideologies by bringing to light that which has been rendered illegible or impossible within diaspora: the impure, inauthentic, and nonreproductive.Gopinath juxtaposes diverse texts to indicate the range of oppositional practices, subjectivities, and visions of collectivity that fall outside not only mainstream narratives of diaspora, colonialism, and nationalism but also most projects of liberal feminism and gay and lesbian politics and theory. She considers British Asian music of the 1990s alongside alternative media and cultural practices. Among the fictional works she discusses are V. S. Naipaul’s classic novel A House for Mr. Biswas, Ismat Chughtai’s short story “The Quilt,” Monica Ali’s Brick Lane, Shyam Selvadurai’s Funny Boy, and Shani Mootoo’s Cereus Blooms at Night. Analyzing films including Deepa Mehta’s controversial Fire and Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding, she pays particular attention to how South Asian diasporic feminist filmmakers have reworked Bollywood’s strategies of queer representation and to what is lost or gained in this process of translation. Gopinath’s readings are dazzling, and her theoretical framework transformative and far-reaching.

The Haunting of Thomas House


Carrie Bates - 2017
    Those who have lived there only last a month or two as pure evil still permeates about. Virginia and Tom move their family to what they believe is the quiet country house, but it is far from peaceful. Strange events at the house leave them terrified, events which nearly cost them their lives. With its horrific past, Thomas House isn't a welcoming home and resents the people who walk through its doors. Doors open and close on their own, apparitions suddenly appear to threaten, and strange sounds resonate at night. Something dark and sinister lives in the house and wants them out. NOW. When Virginia and her son are almost killed by the evil apparitions, her son takes matters into his own hands.

One Slip


Gregg Bell - 2019
    Bakke Amazon VINE VOICE reviewer When Connie Silverstein agreed to babysit her friend’s four-year-old son, she never dreamed it would end in disaster. Now the usually dependable medical student finds herself responsible for the boy’s near drowning and subsequent brain damage.Connie is desperate to help the boy recover, but the grieving mother no longer trusts her. Consumed by guilt, Connie attempts to deaden her pain with alcohol. But there’s not enough vodka in the world to right the wrong she’s done. Family and friends attempt to intervene in her downward spiral, assuring her that tragic accidents can happen to anyone.But only Connie knows the terrible secret that what happened was no accident. What readers are saying about One Slip: ‘Like a riptide, this book pulls you in—and under.’—Cynthiareads‘hooked from the start’—Staci‘Fantastic! Grabs you right from the get-go and never lets go.’—Lisa‘…had me in knots…pushing throughout the night to find out what happened next…it felt heartbreakingly real’—Craves the Angst Book Review Blog‘…over the edge with wonderment at how someone could capture my attention any better’—Deb H‘…grabs you and takes you on a journey.’—Julie Blaskie‘This story tore me apart.’—Denice‘This story pulls you in, then under…at times you yourself may feel like you’re having trouble breathing.’—Julia Deaton‘…an emotionally charged roller coaster of a read’—Shannon Fetters‘…emotionally charged’—Amazon Customer‘My emotions were all over the place’—lamilo 1562‘I loved that it pulled at my heartstrings yet still had the edge of suspense that kept me guessing the whole time.’—April Shuffler‘If you get emotionally attached to characters, have a box of tissues on hand when you read this one. The ending is totally unexpected…but good!’—PTB‘The ending is perfect!’—escritora

Crimson Security


Evie Nichole - 2017
    Things are bound to get hot when the men of Crimson Security are involved. Book 1 My name is Darby Connors and I’m in deep. Maybe too deep for me to make it out alive. It isn’t the first time I’ve been in trouble while doing my job, but this time feels different. Something is coming for me. Someone is coming for me. Hendrix Crimson is assigned to guard my body, and guard it, he does. Caught up in the mess I’ve made, he tries to help me solve the case I’m working on so he only has to worry about one killer coming after me. Book 2 My name is Lacey Holt and I do not need help from Jagger Crimson. Someone is messing with my family, and my ranch, trying to drag up painful family memories. They’ve convinced my dad that my brother’s murderer is back and ready to pick off the rest of our family. I know better. I know that I can take care of it without Jagger, too. He’s a constant distraction and all he’ll do is get in my way. Convincing my dad of that is another story. When it becomes clear that the threat is directed at me, he is ready to ship me off to safety. I’m an adult, though. I’m tough. There’s nothing that this hidden bully can do to run me off my family land. Except for kidnap me and lock me away. So, maybe I do need Jagger after all. Not that I’d ever want to admit that to him. Book 3 Left an orphan after a rough childhood, I was taken in by the president of a rough Motorcycle Club. Given plenty of room to grow, I was treated like a princess. Until I wasn’t. When things in the club change and a new president takes his throne, I’m in more danger than ever. Sold and then saved by Jackson, I owe him my life. It’s not anything he’s interested in, though. Jackson comes with baggage, but I get it. I have my own. Who can help that when we unpack it, things get a little messy? Book 4 I’m not who I used to be. Detective Rain Willows died while being held captive by a very bad man. Now, I don’t know who I am. I’m not a cop. I’m barely a human some days. I’m scared. I lost everything. I gained some scars. The bad man is still after me. Thad Brooks has an ax to grind with me, but he feels like the only thing standing between me and death. I don’t want to admit that I’m afraid, or that I need help, but when things get bad enough, I’m not too stubborn to wave the white flag. Book 5 My only desire in life is to get my daughter back. At any cost, including my life. My name is Clara Crimson and I’m not a good person. I live with a monster and I have killed. I don’t deserve to be happy, but she does. Cash Crimson, my ex-husband, has every reason to hate me and he does. He probably would like to watch me die, but he thinks he needs me to find our daughter. What we find isn’t what we expected, though. I’m not sure either of us will survive it. I’m not sure I want to. We have to keep our daughter safe. We have to get close and remember we’re on the same team. It's time to bring down the man who destroyed us.

Anthropology: Why It Matters


Tim Ingold - 2018
    We face mounting inequality, escalating political violence, warring fundamentalisms and an environmental crisis of planetary proportions. How can we fashion a world that has room for everyone, for generations to come? What are the possibilities, in such a world, of collective human life? These are urgent questions, and no discipline is better placed to address them than anthropology. It does so by bringing to bear the wisdom and experience of people everywhere, whatever their backgrounds and walks of life.In this passionately argued book, Tim Ingold relates how a field of study once committed to ideals of progress collapsed amidst the ruins of war and colonialism, only to be reborn as a discipline of hope, destined to take centre stage in debating the most pressing intellectual, ethical and political issues of our time. He shows why anthropology matters to us all.Introducing Polity's Why It Matters series: In these short and lively books, world-leading thinkers make the case for the importance of their subjects and aim to inspire a new generation of students.

A Queer History of the United States


Michael Bronski - 2011
    Transgender evangelist Jemima Wilkinson, in the early 1800s, changed her name to “Publick Universal Friend,” refused to use pronouns, fought for gender equality, and led her own congregation in upstate New York. In the mid-nineteenth century, internationally famous Shakespearean actor Charlotte Cushman led an openly lesbian life, including a well-publicized “female marriage.” And in the late 1920s, Augustus Granville Dill was fired by W. E. B. Du Bois from the NAACP’s magazine the Crisis after being arrested for a homosexual encounter. These are just a few moments of queer history that Michael Bronski highlights in this groundbreaking book.   Intellectually dynamic and endlessly provocative, A Queer History of the United States is more than a “who’s who” of queer history: it is a book that radically challenges how we understand American history. Drawing upon primary documents, literature, and cultural histories, noted scholar and activist Michael Bronski charts the breadth of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender history, from 1492 to the 1990s, and has written a testament to how the LGBT experience has profoundly shaped our country, culture, and history.  A Queer History of the United States abounds with startling examples of unknown or often ignored aspects of American history—the ineffectiveness of sodomy laws in the colonies, the prevalence of cross-dressing women soldiers in the Civil War, the impact of new technologies on LGBT life in the nineteenth century, and how rock music and popular culture were, in large part, responsible for the devastating backlash against gay rights in the late 1970s. Most striking, Bronski documents how, over centuries, various incarnations of social purity movements have consistently attempted to regulate all sexuality, including fantasies, masturbation, and queer sex. Resisting these efforts, same-sex desire flourished and helped make America what it is today.   At heart, A Queer History of the United States is simply about American history. It is a book that will matter both to LGBT people and heterosexuals. This engrossing and revelatory history will make readers appreciate just how queer America really is.

Beach Traffic: The Ocean Can Be Deadly


Judith Lucci - 2019
    Kat’s childhood friend, Heidi is looking for great sex and a fantastic weekend hookup. But, things turned bad quickly when they learn a friend of theirs had been brutally attacked. Federal and local law enforcement officials are concerned about a vicious murder on the beach and the disappearance of five women. Scroll Up and Grab Your Copy Today!

Revenge School San Francisco


Myles Knapp - 2014
    This guy’s so timid, I wonder if anyone can teach him the stuff he needs to learn. “Revenge School clients have to be seriously violated. We don’t help people with little stuff. Last week a guy wanted us to kill his neighbor for making a pass at his wife. That guy needs testosterone injections, not us. My team will help you destroy whoever beat you and your friend, but we aren’t free. Your first payment is $10k.” “Ten-thousand dollars,” Richard blinked. The hand stirring his Chai Tea shook and the spoon created a wave that slopped onto the Formica table. “If we succeed we’ll pay you back from the funds we take from your enemies.” “So then it costs me nothing?” “Revenge won’t cost you a dime. It won’t make you a dime. It will make you a man.”

Racecar: Searching for the Limit in Formula SAE


Matt Brown - 2011
    With fewer people and resources than any of the top competitors, the only way they were going to win was to push the limit, go for broke, and hope for more than a little luck. By the time they got to the racetrack, they knew: In the fog of fierce competition, whether you win or lose, you learn the hardest lessons about engineering, teamwork, friendship, and yourself.

Blue Falls: Complete Trilogy


Harper Maguire - 2019
    But theirs is particularly unique... Part One Warren Bane lives a double life. By day, he’s vice principal at Blue Falls, Idaho’s, elementary school. By night, he runs with his pack through the forests on the outskirts of town. Hiding his wolf-shifting identity isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it to live free with his family on the twenty-eight-acre plot of land that his father first settled the pack on forty years ago. It’s a good life, but not one that he can ever share with a human woman. So when beautiful Indie Zimmerman walks into his school’s third-grade classroom, the attraction he feels for her isn’t just problematic. It’s downright dangerous. Indie Zimmerman has moved to Blue Falls for a fresh start after the deaths of her parents. Being near the grandparents who helped raise her, taking her very first teaching job straight out of college, in a town surrounded by a landscape straight out of a storybook—everything seems to be going great. Then her instant attraction to rugged Warren Bane puts her in the path of unexpected danger. Part Two Zimmerman is torn between two worlds. On the one hand, her love for Warren makes her want to fight to understand this new world she’s suddenly been thrust into—his world. On the other hand, she desperately wants to return to the normalcy of her life. But that can never be. For now, survival is the name of the game. Warren Bane is brokenhearted as he watches Indie. In addition to the pain he feels seeing the woman he loves suffer, there’s the present danger hanging over both their heads and over the lives of the entire pack. Someone is out to destroy them, one by one. Several of his dearest friends have already been murdered and Warren is determined to avoid losing yet another loved one to the specter suddenly haunting his pack. Gabriela. Part Three Warren Bane’s focus has now switched from survival to battle. With the very lives of his pack and of his mate, Indie Zimmerman, at stake, he’s forced to turn to help to the last person he’d ever think to trust—Peter. Besides the fact that Peter’s particular supernatural abilities are unnerving even to a wolf shifter, Peter’s attraction to Indie continues to be a bone of contention between the two men. But with everything on the line, there’s nothing left to do but join forces. Gabriela’s quest for revenge first brought Indie Zimmerman into the line of fire. Now a fully-fledged wolf shifter, Indie feels as much of a loyalty to her pack and to her love, Warren, as she does to her human grandparents. But that loyalty will be tested to the extremes as she, Warren, and Peter begin a frantic search to take down the woman who is seeking to destroy everything they hold dear.