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Bohemian Los Angeles: and the Making of Modern Politics
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 979.494053
EAN: 9780520249257
Edition: 1
ISBN: 0520249259
Label: University of California Press
Manufacturer: University of California Press
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 377
Publication Date: January 15, 2007
Publisher: University of California Press
Studio: University of California Press
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Editorial Review:
Bohemian Los Angeles brings to life a vibrant and all-but forgotten milieu of artists, leftists, and gay men and women whose story played out over the first half of the twentieth century and continues to shape the entire American landscape. It is the story of a hidden corner of Los Angeles, where the personal first became the political, where the nation's first enduring gay rights movement emerged, and where the broad spectrum of what we now think of as identity politics was born. Portraying life over a period of more than forty years in the hilly enclave of Edendale, near downtown Los Angeles, Daniel Hurewitz considers the work of painters and printmakers, looks inside the Communist Party's intimate cultural scene, and examines the social world of gay men. In this vividly written narrative, he discovers why and how these communities, inspiring both one another and the city as a whole, transformed American notions of political identity with their ideas about self-expression, political engagement, and race relations. Bohemian Los Angeles, incorporating fascinating oral histories, personal letters, police records, and rare photographs, shifts our focus from gay and bohemian New York to the west coast with significant implications for twentieth-century U.S. history and politics.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A terrific read and an excellent history
Daniel Hurwitz has written a fascinating history of an unusual slice of life in Los Angeles. His book should be of interest to anyone who likes to read about gay history and urban history. Hurewitz is a graceful writer and a careful historian. He clearly spent a great deal of time digging through little-known archives and interviewing people who were key figures in his story. This is a terrific read!
Rating: - Hooray for Edendale
The Bohemian history of Los Angeles is every bit as interesting and important to the culture and fabric of Los Angeles as its Hollywood history. Daniel Hurewitz has revealed a depth and intelligence to Los Angeles that the city is all too often accused of not having.
Bravo Daniel. This book is a must-read for Los Angeles history enthusiasts and Edendale residents like myself.
Rating: - Move over Stonewall! Silverlake is where gay politics really began!
From drag queens to communists, Bohemian Los Angeles is full of characters and stories from L.A.'s surprising secret past. As a resident of Silverlake--the hillside neighborhood that provides the focus of this book and which was the epicenter of so much early social activism--I was particularly fascinated to learn about the history under my feet. But I think anyone would be charmed by this nostalgic portrait of a world that has been lost--and yet is the foundation of our own. Congratulations to ... Read More
Rating:  - Dubious thesis
The author originally presented his findings in a UCLA dissertation. In the several years intervening he has enlarged his data and refined his ideas. What we have then is a carefully crafted presentation of his case. Hurewitz focuses on the early and middle years of 20th century. Supplementing previous accounts, there is a good deal of information about ordinary gay men that is new.
In my review of Gay L.A. by Faderman and Timmons, a generally excellent book, I faulted the writers ... Read More
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