"This is an invaluable memoir by one of the founders of gay liberation—a poet, a novelist, and a radical activist who remembers our history. Shelley, a race- and class-conscious lesbian feminist, was there at the beginning, and she remembers it all: growing up ‘different,’ the Mafia-run gay bars, the sit-ins, the jail-time, the protests, and the ideological clashes. This may be one woman’s story—but it is also the story of an American uprising that continues on to this day. An easy and wonderful read.” —Phyllis Chesler, author of Women and Madness
“Meeting the brash, funny, smart, caring Martha Shelley years ago helped push me out of the closet into the human world. Now, thanks to this engaging memoir, you too can meet this inspiring justice activist. Bravo, Martha!” —Jonathan Ned Katz, author of The Daring Life and Dangerous Times of Eve Adams
“In We Set the Night on Fire, readers have a front row seat to Martha Shelley’s inspirational fight for equality and her passion for diversity and inclusion. It’s not only her history but the entire LGBT community’s. Martha is a national treasure, and this book celebrates her.” —Mark Segal, publisher of the Philadelphia Gay News and author of And Then I Danced
“Martha Shelley has written a book of heart-turning directness that is both politically and sexually astute. Her writing has directness, simplicity, honesty, and beauty—and is also at times funny as hell. We Set the Night on Fire is that perfect rare place where politics and art unite, as it traces her journey from lesbian feminist discovery to the revelation that even fellow revolutionaries, after the passion and intimacies of battle, can knife you in the back. Shelley has never abandoned her Brooklyn Jewish roots but instead has flowered with them, intellectually and morally. For anyone looking to change and deepen his or her life, this is a must-read.” —Perry Brass, Gay Liberation Front, author of The Lover of My Soul and King of Angels
“Martha Shelley, lesbian founder of the Gay Liberation Front, documents her gay coming of age in We Set the Night on Fire. It is a slow burn through Shelley’s activist awakening as a young woman via the civil rights, anti–Vietnam War, and Second Wave lesbian feminism before arriving at ground zero—the Stonewall Riots in New York City. Shelley, a lesbian founder of the Gay Liberation Front, gives readers a moment in a life strung together like a string of retro lavender pop beads.” —Cassandra Langer, author of Romaine Brooks: A Life
“A fast-paced journey through history by one of gay liberation’s most important activists, We Set the Night on Fire illuminates our history through the eyes of a woman who saw it all. . . . Witty and fun, reflective and ruminative, Shelley’s account brings into vivid relief a wide range of powerful organizers, historically significant figures, beloved friends, and romantic partners.” —Eric Cervini, author of The Deviant’s War
“Some people witness history. Some people change the course of history. Martha Shelley has done both in her role as a pioneering activist who helped spearhead the expansive and transformative post-Stonewall gay liberation phase of the LGBTQ civil rights movement. But even before the June 1969 Stonewall uprising led Martha to a leading role in cofounding the radical Gay Liberation Front, she was a brave young activist and feminist who pushed the boundaries in the fight for equality. Shelley’s is an instructive and engaging journey that will inspire generations to come to fight for a better world against all odds. It’s also a great read—the best kind of time travel.” —Eric Marcus, author of Making Gay History
“Martha Shelley is a true pioneer and hasn’t stopped exploring. We Set the Night on Fire is a roadmap and a way to use the knowledge of yesterday to be prepared for tomorrow.” —August Bernadicou, president of the LGBTQ History Project
2023-03-14
The autobiography of a co-founder of the Gay Liberation Front.
On June 28, 1969, Shelley was giving two gay Bostonians a tour of Greenwich Village in New York City when they “came upon a group of men throwing things at cops.” When the women asked what was going on, Shelley answered, “It’s just a riot…we have them all the time.” It was only later that she realized that the women had passed through the famous riot at the Stonewall Inn that marked a major transition in the movement for gay rights. A graduate of the Bronx High School of Science and the City College of New York, Shelley was a tough, precocious New Yorker who began to identify as a lesbian after having an affair with a woman she met in a judo class. At a young age, the author was confident enough in her sexuality to become a public speaker for the New York chapter of a “lesbian organization” called Daughters of Bilitis, a role she wore proudly despite having to hide it from her employer. “Although I was out as spokesperson for the DOB, I couldn’t be out at work,” she writes. “I was still living a double life.” It was through this organization and its male counterpart—the Mattachine Society—that Shelley helped found the radical Gay Liberation Front, a group famous for organizing the march that alchemized the ire of the Stonewall riot into a decadeslong movement. Shelley’s frank, conversational tone, wry sense of humor, and keen eye for detail make the text feel like an intimate conversation with a radical friend. At times, her rapid-fire introduction of characters and stream of narration are confusing, but the book is a well-paced, highly informative page-turner about a history that is rarely told.
A gay rights activist's funny and thoughtful memoir.
