As recently as the 1970s, gay and lesbian history was a relatively unexplored field for serious scholars. The past quarter century, however, has seen enormous growth in gay and lesbian studies. The literature is now voluminous; it is also widely scattered and not always easily accessible. In Toward Stonewall, Nicholas Edsall provides a much-needed synthesis, drawing upon both scholarly and popular writings to chart the development of homosexual subcultures in the modern era and the uneasy place they have occupied in Western society. Edsall's survey begins three hundred years ago in northwestern Europe, when homosexual subcultures recognizably similar to those of our own era began to emerge, and it follows their surprisingly diverse paths through the Enlightenment to the early nineteenth century. The book then turns to the Victorian era, tracing the development of articulate and self-aware homosexual subcultures. With a greater sense of identity and organization came new forms of resistance: this was the age that saw the persecution of Oscar Wilde, among others, as well as the medical establishment's labeling of homosexuality as a sign of degeneracy. The book's final section locates the foundations of present-day gay sub-cultures in a succession of twentieth-century scenes and events--in pre-Nazi Germany, in the lesbian world of interwar Paris, in the law reforms of 1960s England--culminating in the emergence of popular movements in the postwar United States. Rather than examining these groups in isolation, the book considers them in their social contexts and as comparable to other subordinate groups and minority movements. In the process, Toward Stonewall illuminates not only the subcultures that are its primary subject but the larger societies from which they emerged.

The first English-language translation of former Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi's penultimate book, published in Persian on the eve of the revolution that brought the downfall of the monarchy. In the late 1970s, on the eve of the Islamic Revolution, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi of Iran published his third book. In it, he gave his assessment of the progress of Iran in the 15 years since the launching of his White Revolution in 1963 and his vision for his country for the proceeding years and decades – the march towards, what he termed, Iran's Great Civilization. An indispensable source for understanding state ideology and domestic and foreign policy in the late Pahlavi period, as well as the shah's personal philosophy and political thought, this new edition of Towards the Great Civilization is based on the original unpublished English-language translation commissioned by the Pahlavi Library, edited by Robert Steele, with an introduction by Professor Ali Ansari.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks meets Get Out in this “startling…powerful” (Kirkus Reviews) investigation of racial inequality at the core of the heart transplant race. In 1968, Bruce Tucker, a black man, went into Virginia’s top research hospital with a head injury, only to have his heart taken out of his body and put into the chest of a white businessman. Now, in The Organ Thieves, Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist Chip Jones exposes the horrifying inequality surrounding Tucker’s death and how he was used as a human guinea pig without his family’s permission or knowledge. The circumstances surrounding his death reflect the long legacy of mistreating African Americans that began more than a century before with cadaver harvesting and worse. It culminated in efforts to win the heart transplant race in the late 1960s. Featuring years of research and fresh reporting, along with a foreword from social justice activist Ben Jealous, “this powerful book weaves together a medical mystery, a legal drama, and a sweeping history, its characters confronting unprecedented issues of life and death under the shadows of centuries of racial injustice” (Edward L. Ayers, author of The Promise of the New South).

In 'Virginia's Attitude Toward Slavery and Secession' author Beverley B. Munford explores the complex relationship between Virginia, slavery, and the secessionist movement. Munford meticulously examines primary sources, including letters, speeches, and historical documents to provide an in-depth analysis of Virginia's role in promoting and maintaining slavery leading up to the Civil War. Munford's writing is clear and concise, making this book accessible to both scholars and casual readers interested in understanding this important period in American history. Munford's work is situated within the broader context of antebellum literature and sheds light on the political, economic, and social factors that influenced Virginia's stance on slavery and secession. By delving into the nuances of Virginia's history, Munford offers a comprehensive account of the state's attitudes towards these contentious topics. Readers with an interest in the Civil War, Southern history, or the abolitionist movement will find 'Virginia's Attitude Toward Slavery and Secession' to be a valuable and enlightening read.