Let the Record Show (Schulman book)

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Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987–1993
First edition
AuthorSarah Schulman
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreOral history
PublisherFarrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date
2021
Pages702
ISBN9780374185138
OCLC1182573401

Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987–1993 is a 2021 oral history written by former ACT UP activist Sarah Schulman.[1] Using 188 interviews conducted as part of the ACT UP Oral History Project,[2] Schulman shows how the activist group was successful, due to its decentralized, dramatic actions, and emphasizes the contributions of people of color and women to the movement.

Summary[edit]

See also: ACT UP § ACT UP New York actions

Schulman recounts different ACT UP members' experiences joining the movement and their contributions to large actions like Stop the Church and demonstrations in front of the Food and Drug Administration, New York Stock Exchange, and National Institutes of Health.[2]

Reception[edit]

Let the Record Show was generally well-received, including starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews[3] and Library Journal.[4] Kirkus called the book "[v]ital, democratic truth-telling,"[3] and Library Journal noted, "This engaging, accessible book will find a wide audience among readers interested in activism from the ground up. It will also be a foundational document for historians for generations to come."[4]

The critical reception to Let the Record Show has overall been positive, including a review The New Yorker.[5] The New York Times's Parl Sehgal explains, "This is a book about the past, written in the fury of the present — in the midst of another epidemic — but its gaze is fixed on the future. Let the Record Show doesn’t seek to memorialize history but to ransack it, to seize what we might need."[6] Rebecca Makkai's review in The New York Times Book Review called Let the Record Show "a masterpiece tome: part sociology, part oral history, part memoir, part call to arms".[7]

Publishers Weekly's primarily positive review noted, "Readers less familiar with ACT UP may wish for a clearer explanation of its organizational structure and more narrative cohesion than Schulman provides. Still, her firsthand perspective and copious details provide a valuable testament to the courage and dedication of many unheralded activists."[8]

Freelance writer Vicky Osterweil criticized Let the Record Show in a Jewish Currents article in fall 2021.[9] In an otherwise positive review, Osterweil said that Schulman had not accurately represented the presence and influence of trans members of ACT UP.[5] A separate Jewish Currents response to Osterweil's article said Osterweil had misrepresented why Schulman disputed the presence of Black trans activists at the Stop the Church action.[10]

Electric Literature[11] and NPR[12] named Let the Record Show one of the best nonfiction books of 2021. Gay Times named it one of the best LBTQ Books of 2021,[13] and NBC included it in their list of the 10 Most Notable LGBTQ Books of 2021.[14]

Awards for Let the Record Show
Year Award Result Ref.
2021 Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize Longlist [15]
2022 Gotham Book Prize Finalist [16][17]
Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award Honor [18]
Lambda Literary Award for Nonfiction Winner [19][20]
PEN/John Kenneth Galbriath Award Finalist [21][22]
Publishing Triangle Awards Special Award Winner [23]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Makkai, Rebecca (20 May 2021). "In 'Let the Record Show,' Sarah Schulman Erects a Monument to the AIDS Movement". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Nonfiction Book Review: Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $40 (736p) ISBN 978-0-374-18513-8". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Let the Record Show". Kirkus Reviews. 2021-01-30. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  4. ^ a b Azzolina, David (2021-04-01). "Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987–1993". Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  5. ^ a b Hitt, Tarpley (October 29, 2021). "Sarah Schulman: Conflict Is Sometimes Abuse Actually". Gawker. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  6. ^ Sehgal, Parul (2021-05-04). "A New Testament to the Fury and Beauty of Activism During the AIDS Crisis". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  7. ^ Makkai, Rebecca (2021-05-20). "In 'Let the Record Show,' Sarah Schulman Erects a Monument to the AIDS Movement". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  8. ^ "Nonfiction Book Review: Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York, 1987-1993 by Sarah Schulman". www.publishersweekly.com. 2021-05-18. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  9. ^ Osterweil, Vicky (September 22, 2021). "What the Record Doesn't Show". Jewish Currents. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  10. ^ Gabriel, Kay (October 2021). "On "What the Record Doesn't Show"". Jewish Currents. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  11. ^ "Electric Lit's Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2021". Electric Literature. 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  12. ^ "Best Books 2021: Books We Love". NPR. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  13. ^ RAZA-SHEIKH Raza-Sheik, Zoya (2021-12-28). "The 10 best LGBTQ+ books of 2021". GAY TIMES. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  14. ^ Lavietes, Matt (2021-12-27). "From a queer love triangle to 999 pages of lesbian diaries, this was 2021 in LGBTQ books". NBC News. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  15. ^ "Longlist for the 2021 Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize Announced". Bklyner. 2021-08-26. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  16. ^ Schaub, Michael (2022-01-29). "Finalists for the 2022 Gotham Book Prize Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  17. ^ Mechler, Anita (2022-01-28). "2022 Gotham Book Prize Finalists Announced | Book Pulse". Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
  18. ^ Chapman, Monica (2022-02-01). "2022 Barbara Gittings Literature Award and Israel Fishman Non-Fiction Award of the Stonewall Book Awards announced". News and Press Center. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  19. ^ Schaub, Michael (2022-06-13). "Lambda Literary Award Winners Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  20. ^ Segal, Corinne (2022-06-13). "Congratulations to the winners of the 2022 Lambda Literary Awards!". Literary Hub. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  21. ^ "Announcing the 2022 PEN America Literary Awards Finalists". PEN America. 2022-01-26. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  22. ^ Brownworth, Victoria A. (2022-01-28). "Author Sarah Schulman nominated for prestigious award". Queer Forty. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  23. ^ "Let the Record Show, by Sarah Schulman, Receives Special Award for Nonfiction". The Publishing Triangle. 2022-03-21. Retrieved 2022-06-16.

Further reading[edit]

External links[edit]

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