The Rest of It: Hustlers, Cocaine, Depression, and Then Some, 1976–1988

Description

For many, the death of a parent marks a low point in their personal lives. For Martin Duberman—a major historian and a founding figure in the history of gay and lesbian studies—the death of his mother was just the beginning of what became a twelve-year period filled with despair, drug addiction, and debauchery. From his cocaine use, massive heart attack, and immersion into New York's gay hustler scene to experiencing near-suicidal depression and attending rehab, The Rest of It is the previously untold and revealing story of how Duberman managed to survive his turbulent personal life while still playing leading roles in the gay community and the academy. Despite the hardships, Duberman managed to be incredibly productive: he wrote his biography of Paul Robeson, rededicated himself to teaching, wrote plays, and coedited the prize-winning Hidden from History. His exploration of new paths of scholarship culminated in his founding of the Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies, thereby inaugurating a new academic discipline. At the outset of the HIV/AIDS epidemic Duberman increased his political activism, and in these pages he also describes the tensions between the New Left and gay organizers, as well as the profound homophobia that created the conditions for queer radical activism. Filled with gossip, featuring cameo appearances by luminaries such as Gore Vidal, Norman Mailer, Vivian Gornick, Susan Brownmiller, Kate Millett, and Néstor Almendros, among many others, and most importantly, written with an unflinching and fearless honesty, The Rest of It provides scathing insights into a troubling decade of both personal and political history. It is a stimulating look into a key period of Duberman's life, which until now had been too painful to share. Cover ......Page 1 Contents......Page 10 Preface ......Page 12 1. My Mother’s Death......Page 14 2. Attempted Therapies: Theater, LSD, Bioenergetics......Page 22 3. A New Kind of History: Gay Scholarship......Page 28 4. Reading My Circadian Chart......Page 41 5. Hustlers......Page 52 6. A Heart Attack......Page 61 7. The Reagan Years Begin......Page 68 8. The New York Civil Liberties Union and the Gay Movement......Page 74 9. Writing the Paul Robeson Biography......Page 98 10. New York Native......Page 111 11. CUNY, Christopher Lasch, and Eugene Genovese......Page 117 12. The Onset of AIDS......Page 128 13. Completing Robeson......Page 138 14. The Salmagundi Controversy......Page 148 15. Paul Robeson Jr.......Page 157 16. Depression......Page 161 17. Hospitalization......Page 176 18. Getting Clean: AA and CA......Page 184 19. East Germany and After......Page 194 20. The Theater Again......Page 203 21. Aftermaths: 1985–1988......Page 210 Acknowledgments ......Page 236 B ......Page 238 C ......Page 239 D ......Page 240 F ......Page 242 H ......Page 243 K ......Page 246 L ......Page 247 M ......Page 248 O ......Page 249 Q ......Page 250 R ......Page 251 S ......Page 252 T ......Page 253 W ......Page 254 Z ......Page 255