Will I love Secret City?

I loved this book for it’s many revelations about closeted, conservative gay men and women who held high positions in Washington DC and the US government over many decades. Also, that it covers those who were brave enough, or in such circumstances, that they proclaimed their orientation forthrightly and publicly, and in doing so, those few heroic souls moved the USA forward toward a more open society. Kirchick ultimately shows the progress that has been made toward acceptance of homosexuals.

What Zinn achieved in highlighting leftist history and labor history, Kirchick achieves in highlighting gay history and its proximity to the corridors of political power in Washington.

The struggles of gay Americans to gain recognition by the U.S. government as equal to their fellow citizens and commensurate with their talents is a fascinating story, and Kirchick more than does it justice.

Like Zinn’s People’s History, this book carefully reexamines the conventional understanding of our nation’s history as a whole. It is both ambitious and particular.

I write historical mysteries about it set in Washington, DC, during the post-WWII period involving gay and lesbian characters, so I initially came to this book as research.

As I read Kirchick's well-researched and gripping writing, I felt moved by the rich interplay between LGBTQ lives and the halls of political power.

Although there are many tragic stories about gays and lesbians during the 20th century, I was surprised by how empowering I found this book as a gay man. We've not only always been here, but we've been here at the side of the most influential leaders of our… show more.