I’m always delighted when I read a book that, on first glance, I’d pass over, only to find myself challenged with new material and ideas. Originating from Terrence Kissack’s dissertation, completed at the City University of New York, Free Comrades examines anarchism’s concerns with the conflict between individual freedom and state power, a conflict with which members of the LGBT community will identify.
Kissack possesses a thorough knowledge of anarchist literature, by both American and European writers. He examines the extensive anarchist
writings on varied topics, including the trial of Oscar Wilde, the view that marriage as an institution was an attack on individual freedom, and the changing view of Walt Whitman’s sexual orientation between 1895 and 1917.
Based on these and other examinations, Kissack describes the intellectual contributions that many anarchists made toward the changing view of homosexuality, and the subsequent groundwork this laid for the LGBT community. And he makes clear the irony of the anarchist attack on marriage, which—in part—prepared for the current legal efforts for marriage.
Free Comrades is a challenging book, but its importance makes it well worth the effort. It, to the best of my knowledge, breaks new ground in LGBT studies. The index must be used with care as personal names, while alphabetical by surname, are listed with the forename first.
This title is highly recommended for all academic and special libraries that collect for gender studies, US intellectual history, anarchism, and American literature.
Reviewed by, Dave Combe