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215th out of 266 books
—
70 voters
Intimate Matters: A History of Sexuality in America
The 1st full length study of the history of American sexuality, Intimate Matters offers trenchant insights into sexual behavior from colonial times to today. D'Emilio & Freedman give a deeper understanding of how sexuality has dramatically influenced politics & culture throughout history.
"The book John D'Emilio co-wrote with Estelle B. Freedman, Intimate Matters,...more
"The book John D'Emilio co-wrote with Estelle B. Freedman, Intimate Matters,...more
Paperback, 466 pages
Published
February 28th 1998
by University of Chicago Press
(first published April 1st 1988)
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A thorough overview of the main trends in America's tortured ideas about s*e*x*---not so much the down & dirty but concepts of gender, permissiveness, gaydom, and youth. As with most histories than span several centuries, the narrative goes broad rather than deep; occasionally you sense some repetition of ideas, which is inevitable, I suppose. Yet I found the final section on the 20th century, "The Rise and Fall fo Sexual Liberalism," fascinating. There's a great section on Margaret Sanger,...more
Despite getting quite a number of raised eyebrows when people caught sight of me reading this, it's not at all prurient or salacious. It's actually rather fascinating, despite the fact that the title really ought to be (A Mostly Heterosexual) History of Sexuality in America. There is very little in here about asexuality, bisexuality, homosexuality, which are mostly mentioned only in passing or in opposition to the prevailing heterosexual norm. I can understand why, to a certain extent, as the ov...more
Apr 01, 2013
Erik Graff
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Americans
Recommended to Erik by:
no one
Shelves:
history
This is a dry, academic study of sexual behavior in what is now the USA from the colonial period until the time of publication (1988). Among its virtues are efforts to distinguish between regions, races and classes. Among its deficits are the introductions and conclusions appended to its sections and subsections, all of which are yawningly abstract summaries of what is to come or of what has just happened. This may be in accord with any number of style books, but the way these authors handle it...more
This was the main textbook for the best class I took in college, a sociological/anthropological study of human sexuality taught by Dr. Christopher Carrington. The book sheds light on misconceptions about our Puritan ancestors (not as prude as one might think) and the effect of sexuality on America's political culture. The subject matter is so broad you probably won't get as much information on a particular subject as you like, but a definitely recommended read and a good starting off point for f...more
The 1st full length study of the history of American sexuality, Intimate Matters offers trenchant insights into sexual behavior from colonial times to today. D'Emilio & Freedman give a deeper understanding of how sexuality has dramatically influenced politics & culture throughout history.
"The book John D'Emilio co-wrote with Estelle B. Freedman, Intimate Matters, was cited by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy when, writing for a majority of court on July 26, he and his colleagues str...more
"The book John D'Emilio co-wrote with Estelle B. Freedman, Intimate Matters, was cited by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy when, writing for a majority of court on July 26, he and his colleagues str...more
Oct 04, 2009
Danita
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
the-sex-shelf,
victorian-era-u-s
freaking awesome. really appreciate that it tries not to be just a sexual history of the white middle class, but a lot of this is buried
I am so excited there is a new edition. Probably more than I should be.
Mar 21, 2009
Meen
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone should read it. Get informed people.
Recommended to Meen by:
Karen Cox
This edition ends in the '80s, so it was kinda depressing in the final chapter knowing how political conservativism, particularly its religious fundie aspects, ended up becoming dominant and rolling back many of the gains of the feminist and gay rights movements. Their ideology is so fear-based, so NOT based in rationality or factual evidence. I feel like I can breathe a little now that they have lost a lot of their power, but damn, we really gotta remain vigilent. There's no reasoning with peop...more
Good synthesis. Nicely organized, and easy to read. The only reason that I wouldn't give it 5-stars is because only really highlighted mainstream sexuality and the struggle to understand/maintain those norms (though the authors are careful to include gay/lesbian history as well). I wish there had been more discussion of the taboo, juxtaposed with their discussion of the norms. I will likely hunt down a copy of the 2nd edition to fill the void left by their hasty epilogue in the 1st edition that...more
Still the go-to book on the history of sexuality...lays it all out there and analyzes it brilliantly.
A ground breaker!
read
Really thorough history of marriage and sex 16th-Century thru 20th-Century. Very enlightening, especially around intersections of race and class and how control of sexuality has been used as a tool to maintain hierarchies in the United States. Also really enlightening history on the ever-changing meaning of marriage among differing groups and religions. Could have been more nuanced around some of the feminist history but all in all, really great book. Highly recommend it!
Very interesting book--read for class, but would have enjoyed reading it anyway.
I read the older edition when it came out (I think it was a QPB selection) and then read it again for my comprehensive exams. I enjoyed it both times. A great overview of sexuality in America.
Sep 23, 2012
Emily
marked it as just-cannot-finish
Just cannot finish...because I learned most of this already in my undergrad WS classes.
A very important book for anyone interested in how sexuality has shaped the history of our country.
This book is, um, seminal.
May 21, 2013
Shannon
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2013
Flippiepopje
marked it as to-read
May 19, 2013
Mary
marked it as to-read
May 18, 2013
Christina Casey
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2013
Cecile James
marked it as to-read
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| What are some of the key points in this book? | 1 | 2 | Apr 11, 2012 06:23pm |
John D'Emilio is a professor of history and of women's and gender studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He has taught previously at George Washington University and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University in 1982, where his advisor was Kenneth T. Jackson. A Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Humanities fellow from 1995 to 1997...more
More about John D'Emilio...
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Jan 12, 2013 06:58pm