Sin, Sex & Subversion: How What Was Taboo in 1950s New York Became America?s New Normal

by David Rosen

During the tumultuous 1950s in America, sex was as threatening to the nation’s moral order as communism. New York was the capital of the post–World War II world and the epicenter of a fierce culture war over music, theatre, movies, fashion, and literature, as well as birth control, homosexuality, adolescent sex, pornography, and prostitution. Over the last half-century, America’s social life—especially notions of culture, sexuality, and politics—has fundamentally changed, and what were once sinful or subversive sexual practices have been integrated into the marketplace, irreversibly changing American moral values; the once illicit has become an industry of more than $50 billion.

Drawing on first-person interviews, unpublished memoirs, newspaper accounts, contemporary studies, government documents, and recent scholarship, Sin, Sex & Subversion argues that “deviant” sexuality was subversive, and that unique New York “outsiders” of the 1950s set the stage for the following decades and the world we know today. In each chapter, author David Rosen examines a critical moral issue through an in-depth profile of figures such as Liberace, Samuel Roth, Bettie Page, the Rosenbergs, and others. Through these individuals, Rosen shows how those who operated outside the law or who challenged popular values, even if they were silenced in their time, ended up paving the way for a new normal.

Skyhorse Publishing, as well as our Arcade imprint, are proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in history—books about World War II, the Third Reich, Hitler and his henchmen, the JFK assassination, conspiracies, the American Civil War, the American Revolution, gladiators, Vikings, ancient Rome, medieval times, the old West, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook

436 pages, Hardcover

First published February 2, 2016

Reviews

[Kutsua · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting collection of facts about 1950s America that are really astounding, considering how things developed later on.

I only read those parts that were of interests to me (sin and sex: comics, sex business, gay scene, porn, etc). I skipped the final parts which were more about politics (subversion).

I wonder, what made McCarthy the devil he became? (note to self: read something about him)

Also, this book shows an interesting perspective on the convervative/liberal fight we see today in our societies. Basically, the conservatives seemed to have the winning hand till the very last moment, then - obviously tired of fighting, gave up and surprisingly, the world still kept spinning...
What a life lesson!

[Mike Cross · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well researched and expressed. Became redundant at times because of the approach. Not entirely about New York, but uses the city as a starting point. Very good companion to books by Geoffrey R Stone and Eric Berkowitz. I could have done with less moralizing and opinion.