Overview

Buried for decades, the Up Stairs Lounge tragedy has only recently emerged as a catalyzing event of the gay liberation movement. In revelatory detail, Robert W. Fieseler chronicles the tragic event that claimed the lives of thirty-one men and one woman on June 24, 1973, at a New Orleans bar, the largest mass murder of gays until 2016. Relying on unprecedented access to survivors and archives, Fieseler creates an indelible portrait of a closeted, blue-collar gay world that flourished before an arsonist ignited an inferno that destroyed an entire community. The aftermath was no less traumatic--families ashamed to claim loved ones, the Catholic Church refusing proper burial rights, the city impervious to the survivors' needs--revealing a world of toxic prejudice that thrived well past Stonewall. Yet the impassioned activism that followed proved essential to the emergence of a fledgling gay movement. Tinderbox restores honor to a forgotten generation of civil-rights martyrs.

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9781665136112

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Reviews

Fieseler unflinchingly recounts the fire and sets it firmly in the context of the times. -- Chicago Tribune Fiesler describes the blaze and chaos in the bar in excruciating and terrifying detail...A vivid, fast-paced, and essential LGBTQ and social history. -- Library Journal (starred review) It's indescribably moving to learn in a final author's note that survivors hesitant to speak on the record for Tinderbox came forward with urgency after the Pulse massacre. Their testimonies, Fieseler's rigorous research, and his amiable prose make this a vital, inspiring volume in the annals of gay history. -- Shelf Awareness The book is loving, sensitive, and diligent. -- New York Times Very moving...Eloquent...haunting...The heart of this book concerns the individual stories Fieseler has assembled. These make his book far more than just a history of gay rights; they make it an infinitely sad portrait of what these people went through. -- Gay & Lesbian Review

"""Fieseler unflinchingly recounts the fire and sets it firmly in the context of the times."" -- "" Chicago Tribune"" ""Fiesler describes the blaze and chaos in the bar in excruciating and terrifying detail...A vivid, fast-paced, and essential LGBTQ and social history."" -- ""Library Journal (starred review)"" ""It's indescribably moving to learn in a final author's note that survivors hesitant to speak on the record for Tinderbox came forward with urgency after the Pulse massacre. Their testimonies, Fieseler's rigorous research, and his amiable prose make this a vital, inspiring volume in the annals of gay history."" -- ""Shelf Awareness"" ""The book is loving, sensitive, and diligent."" -- "" New York Times"" ""Very moving...Eloquent...haunting...The heart of this book concerns the individual stories Fieseler has assembled. These make his book far more than just a history of gay rights; they make it an infinitely sad portrait of what these people went through."" -- ""Gay & Lesbian Review"""

Author Information

Robert W. Fieseler is a recipient of the Pulitzer Traveling Fellowship and the Lynton Fellowship in Book Writing. A writer for The Big Roundtable, Narratively, and elsewhere, he lives in Boston. Paul Heitsch has been narrating audiobooks since 2011, after having worked as a pianist, composer, recording engineer, producer, and sound designer for many years. His work is often cited for the authenticity he brings to the narrative and characters he portrays, as well as his versatility, and clear, smooth delivery. He has been a presenter at several webinars and seminars for the Audiobook Publishing Association and SAG-AFTRA.

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