Transgender History, second edition: The Roots of Today’s Revolution

With the rise of LGBTQ rights, and as more and more is written about them, it is not surprising that we are starting to see more histories written of the LGBTQ experience in American history, and even updated versions of older histories, of which this book is one. Susan Stryker takes us on a journey through a history that is largely unknown to most Americans and most students of American history, though some states are starting to mandate the teaching of LGBTQ history in the classrooms. The first portion of the book just defines terms, concepts, and contexts and how these terms have changed over time, a great primer for students. Then Ms. Stryker takes us through American history, and mostly post-World War II history, through the eyes of LGBTQ citizens, their struggles, triumphs, and organizations. While history is a study across long spans of time, this book is mostly focused on more modern American history. While documents might not exist pre-World War II for the LGBTQ community, it would have been nice to get more of their picture. But that is something that can be worked on by later historians.