damned_colonial: Convicts in Sydney, being spoken to by a guard/soldier (Default)
damned_colonial ([personal profile] damned_colonial) wrote in [community profile] readingthepast2009-05-30 03:59 pm
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Mod post: theme suggestions

Please suggest themes you'd like to see covered here! Cut and paste the following into a comment:

ETA: please put your theme in the subject of your comment!

Theme:
Are you prepared to run it? Yes/No
Suggested books, if you have them already:


What does it mean to run the theme?

1. At least one month in advance, you'll let everyone know about the theme and your suggested reading for it. You need to suggest at least 3 works of fiction.
2. On the first of the month, you will post a welcome/introduction/kickoff for the theme.
3. Throughout the month, you'll take an active part in discussion of the theme.

You do not have to be an expert on the theme to run it. You just need to have an interest in it.
gloss: superhero hit over the head with a book (academia)

Cold War America

[personal profile] gloss 2009-06-01 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd love to run this one, and I have some book ideas:
Shimmer, Sarah Schulman
Fellow Travelers, Thomas Mallon
Advise & Consent, Allen Drury

...the theme's turned into "homosexuality and Cold War America", if that's okay. The only problem is that I'm not sure how/where to find a *free* edition, since by definition nothing's old enough to be public domain yet. Any ideas would be more than welcome.
naraht: Roy Cohn and Joe McCarthy (hist-Whispering)

Re: Cold War America

[personal profile] naraht 2009-06-01 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Homosexuality and Cold War America is such a great topic. J Edgar Hoover and Roy Cohn, oh my!

"The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chabon might just fit under that theme, though it might not. A good secondary source is "The lavender scare" by David K. Johnson.
gloss: woman in front of birch tree looking to the right (Default)

Re: Cold War America

[personal profile] gloss 2009-06-01 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
See, I'd assumed that you'd claimed this topic, so when I realized you hadn't, I thought I'd nab it -- unless you want it.

I have Johnson's book next on my to-read list. WHEE.

I'm not sure about Kavalier & Clay, though I'm rereading it this summer, so I'll check. There's also James Ellroy's The Big Nowhere, but his depiction of gays leaves *a lot* to be desired. *thinks*
naraht: Moonrise over Earth (hist-Hoover and Tolson)

Re: Cold War America

[personal profile] naraht 2009-06-01 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I certainly haven't claimed it, although am happy to help out with suggestions. I've actually written two fanfics about homosexuality in Cold War America, so I suppose it's sort of an interest of mine. I did a bunch of reading for them which was how I found the Johnson book...

I adore Kavalier and Clay but I may be working too hard to fit it in here. :)
jest: (comradespy)

Re: Cold War America

[personal profile] jest 2009-06-02 10:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I've actually written two fanfics about homosexuality in Cold War America

What fandom? I'm currently writing Man from UNCLE slash so I am ALL over homosexuality during the cold war.
naraht: Roy Cohn and Joe McCarthy (hist-Whispering)

Re: Cold War America

[personal profile] naraht 2009-06-03 02:11 am (UTC)(link)
One RPF (on Roy Cohn and his circle) and one X-Files. Both heavily focused on McCarthyism...
gloss: superhero hit over the head with a book (academia)

Re: Cold War America

[personal profile] gloss 2009-06-01 10:45 pm (UTC)(link)
As long as we don't make too much of a habit of it, perhaps space out the 20th century themes so it's not too frequent.
...and for a second I thought you were referring to adding homosexuality, not the lack of free editions. I need dinner, obviously.
gloss: woman celebrating (Leila: hurrah!)

Re: Cold War America

[personal profile] gloss 2009-06-01 10:50 pm (UTC)(link)
We're on the same page, then! :D
jest: (Default)

Re: Cold War America

[personal profile] jest 2009-06-02 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
As long as Sarah Schulman book is on the list, I'm happy. "Shimmer" is the first thing I ever read that really gave me an inkling of just what cold war paranoia must have felt like.