Publishers Weekly
★ 07/03/2023
Historian Goodman debuts with an expansive survey of drag performance in New York City from the mid-19th century through today. Drawing on archival research and interviews, she examines the surge of male and female impersonation in Broadway theater at the turn of the century; drag and masquerade balls in Harlem and Greenwich Village in the 1920s; drag revues put on by soldiers during WWII; drag queens’ resistance to antidrag legislation and police raids of queer venues in the 1960s, leading to the Stonewall riot; the avant-garde and punk-inspired drag performances that raised awareness about the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s; and, finally, the rise of commercial forms of drag in the 2000s, culminating in the current era of RuPaul’s Drag Race. Throughout, Goodman highlights members of New York’s queer community and their allies who resisted antidrag laws and social stigma, including Mae West, a male impersonator and playwright before becoming a Hollywood star, who faced censorship and fines for writing several plays in the 1920s that featured gay characters and drag performers (more than once, the police raided performances of her plays and arrested the entire cast), and drag queens Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, who in 1970 founded S.T.A.R. (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries), the first organization in the U.S. to provide housing for homeless trans youth. Filled with vibrant character portraits and lesser-known histories, this is a comprehensive guide to New York’s long tradition of drag performance and queer activism. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"Every lawmaker who wants to ban drag should read this history... Convincing and heartwarming."—Washington Post "[T]here’s possibly never been a better time for Goodman’s highly researched history of drag as a vital form of self-expression for the expansive LGBTQ+ community in New York City."—Vogue "A cultural history of the art form’s groundbreaking impact in New York City."—Elle
"A vital antidote to the tragedy of queer erasure, serving as a memory, benchmark, and guide to current and future drag lovers... this book demands we take [drag] seriously as a cultural art form that responds to, critiques, and is a crucial part of American history."—Hyperallergic
"Filled with vibrant character portraits and lesser-known histories, this is a comprehensive guide to New York’s long tradition of drag performance and queer activism.”—Publishers Weekly STARRED review “Throughout this lively and celebratory book, Goodman portrays the dynamic forces of a fearless community bound by their love of performance and using ‘glamour as a potent force of resistance.’ An essential addition to the literature of both drag and queer history.”—Kirkus STARRED review "Goodman parlays her ardor for drag into a uniquely comprehensive, vibrant, and eye-opening history of the art form in New York City. ... Richly enlightening, enthralling, and invaluable.”—Booklist STARRED review "[Goodman's] reverence for the art form shows in her deeply thorough history of NYC’s drag scene...vital."—Library Journal STARRED review"Elyssa Goodman has achieved the near impossible; a history of drag that is as entertaining as it is comprehensive. From Eltinge to RuPaul, all of the great personalities with their triumphs and tragedies are woven into a vivid and vibrant tapestry of the city of New York."—Charles Busch, award-winning playwright and author of Leading Lady: A Memoir of a Most Unusual Boy "As drag is absurdly under attack by the right wing, along comes this well researched book that celebrates its glittery renown. Elyssa Maxx Goodman lovingly explores drag's trajectory in NYC from 1865 to the present, spanning activism, oppression, flamboyance and Emmy awards. Brava!"—Michael Musto, author and journalist for The Village Voice "What a gift downtown nightlife fixture Elyssa Maxx Goodman has given us with her glamorous, giddy history! A love letter to New York City past and present, Glitter and Concrete celebrates drag's shimmering potential for community, self-expression, and pure joy."—Ada Calhoun, New York Times bestselling author of St. Marks Is Dead
"As drag's enemies attempt to eradicate it from public life, we'd do well to learn from its underground roots. Now more than ever, we need the stories of the artform's ancestresses. Glitter and Concrete provides a thorough and accessible introduction to this ancient tradition of resilience, resistance and divine shapeshifting."—Devin Antheus, co-author of Legends of Drag "Glitter and Concrete is precise and comprehensive and beautifully written. It brings to life the whole long tragic-comic history of drag in New York. As a gay New Yorker I learned as much as I relived. It is indispensable!"—Edmund White “Fascinating and delightful. Elyssa Maxx Goodman has written a comprehensive, thoughtful, yet thoroughly entertaining history of drag as experienced in New York from the Gilded Age to today.”—Paulina Bren, bestselling author of The Barbizon "Glamor. Survival. Performance. Community—That’s drag… and that’s New York. And that’s why this remarkable book is so important. Elyssa Goodman takes us all the way to the 19th century and back to explore and explain the special role drag has played in making New York the place where the world comes to truly be itself. Deeply researched and featuring a cast of characters who can truly be described as fabulous, Glitter and Concrete is urban history on fire."— Thomas Dyja, author of New York, New York, New York: Four Decades of Success, Excess, and Transformation "Glitter and Concrete is so much more than a simple deep dive into the glamorously complex world of drag in New York City; it stands as a testament to the art form's roots of revolution and protest. Combining exhaustive research and razor-sharp prose, Elyssa Maxx Goodman pays homage to drag’s vitally important, necessary role in the larger American consciousness and of its refusal to be culturally exorcised. I loved every minute of this dazzling book."—Alex Espinoza, author of Cruising: An Intimate History of a Radical Pastime "Hey babes, take a read on the wild sides, past and present, of NYC's prismatic drag scenes."—Joe E. Jeffreys, Drag Historian "The drag history book we’ve all been waiting for. Goodman tracks the history of drag in New York City from the Jazz Age to the age of RuPaul winning Emmys. Fans of Paris is Burning will get the spiritual follow-up to the seminal documentary. This is a must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about queer history."—Debutiful
Library Journal
★ 09/01/2023
Freelance writer Goodman has loved drag since watching To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar at the age of seven. Her reverence for the art form shows in her deeply thorough history of NYC's drag scene, from the "gender impersonators" of the mid-1800s to the present-day popularity of RuPaul's Drag Race. Goodman not only uses archival resources, but she also interviews several dozen drag performers to get firsthand accounts of important moments in drag history and to preserve their stories. The intersection of queerness and drag is explored in-depth, and the book examines how culture and laws have affected how and when drag can be performed. An extensive list of further resources—books, film, television, and digital media—is also provided. VERDICT This book is extremely timely, as transgender rights and events such as drag queen story hours are constantly scrutinized in legislation and in the American media. A vital purchase for any collection.—Heather Sheahan
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2023-07-05
A comprehensive report on the history of drag.
Writer and photographer Goodman vibrantly chronicles the history of “the renegades and rebels” who created and maintained the drag lifestyle since the mid-1800s. An ardent fan of drag since she watched To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, the author shares her meticulous historical research, which includes numerous hours of interview material. Goodman begins with a discussion of how gender impersonation proliferated in the 1800s despite a suppressive 1846 “masquerade law” forbidding it. From the end of the 19th century, the popularity of masquerade “drag” balls took off in Harlem and Greenwich Village, where a more liberated form of performance became more popular, even motivating gay World War II soldiers to don costumes and inspiring actors like Mae West to defy conformity laws. However, law enforcement continued to disrupt the party, with increasingly violent raids on gay clubs and performance venues, adding fuel to a burgeoning liberation rebellion that culminated in the Stonewall riots of 1969. As a glamorous display of self-expression, the popularity of drag continued to grow, championed by artists, including Andy Warhol, who increased awareness throughout the 1980s AIDS epidemic. Embedded within these fascinating microhistories are vividly presented profiles of the fearless queens who embraced their craft regardless of naysayers or prohibitive laws. Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Joey Arias, Divine, and countless others channeled their outrage and grief into radical performance art. Goodman also spotlights the venues that hosted these events, including the East Village’s Pyramid Club, which was known for AIDS fundraisers and became a cultural workshop for queens to cultivate community, inspire activism, and develop their personas. Drag has since become more mainstream and commercialized thanks to programs like RuPaul’s Drag Race. Throughout this lively and celebratory book, Goodman portrays the dynamic forces of a fearless community bound by their love of performance and using “glamour as a potent force of resistance.”
An essential addition to the literature of both drag and queer history.
