A Passion to Preserve

April 15, 2004
Long before the make-better mavens of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy put their mark on mainstream culture, gay men have evinced a talent for collecting, organizing, renovating, and restoring that goes beyond mere gender stereotype. Fellows (Farm Boys) examines this tendency in this chronicle of queer pioneers in historic preservation, a concept at once original and yet so obvious it is surprising that no one has attempted it before. The author postulates that gay men, in touch with their feminine side, possess strong nesting instincts and a feeling for aesthetics that lead them into the field. Fellows then presents narratives by 32 currently active historic preservationists, who discuss with wit, charm, and feeling their own reclamations, whether of historic homes, old photographs, or the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, in places ranging from San Francisco and New Orleans to Cooksville, WI. Their narratives are grouped by U.S. region and presented with relevant historical and social background. Engagingly written and edited, this unique confluence of gay studies and historic preservation deserves a place in both subject collections in academic and special libraries.-Richard J. Violette, Special Libs. Cataloguing, Victoria, B.C.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.