Editorial Review:

We don't usually associate thriving queer culture with rural America, but John Howard's unparalleled history of queer life in the South persuasively debunks the myth that same-sex desires can't find expression outside the big city. In fact, this book shows that the nominally conservative institutions of small-town life--home, church, school, and workplace--were the very sites where queer sexuality flourished. As Howard recounts the life stories of the ordinary and the famous, often in their own words, he also locates the material traces of queer sexuality in the landscape: from the farmhouse to the church social, from sports facilities to roadside rest areas.
Spanning four decades, Men Like That complicates traditional notions of a post-WWII conformist wave in America. Howard argues that the 1950s, for example, were a period of vibrant queer networking in Mississippi, while during the so-called "free love" 1960s homosexuals faced aggressive oppression. When queer sex was linked to racial agitation and when key civil rights leaders were implicated in homosexual acts, authorities cracked down and literally ran the accused out of town.
In addition to firsthand accounts, Men Like That finds representations of homosexuality in regional pulp fiction and artwork, as well as in the number one pop song about a suicidal youth who jumps off the Tallahatchie Bridge. And Howard offers frank, unprecedented assessments of outrageous public scandals: a conservative U.S. congressman caught in the act in Washington, and a white candidate for governor accused of patronizing black transgender sex workers.
The first book-length history of the queer South, Men Like That completely reorients our presuppositions about gay identity and about the dynamics of country life.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

From a Current Mississippian:

I had to write a short review on this book. Seeing as I am a current (and lifelong) gay resident of Mississippi, I was delighted to find a history of the places that I frequented during my youth. The book is titled after a line in the movie "Ode to Billie Joe," which was based on the song of the same name by Bobbie Gentry. I of course, remember this song and how all of us speculated on exactly what was thrown off the Tallahatchie bridge. I have a really special(?) memory of the movie, because it was the... more info

Intriguing and Attention Keeper:

Men Like That is a wonderful book about Mississippi gay history. It is written by Dr. John Howard, whom himself is a gay Mississippian. Dr. Howard delves into history of gay Mississippi, something even gays in Mississippi have no idea exists, providing a sense of pride in our own community that no other person, author or otherwise, has been able to do, or tried to do. Often is the case, the Southern states are overlooked in their roles in gay history. It took a gay man from Mississippi, to bring to light... more info

An interesting yet mired analysis:

Having spent a portion of my youth in Mississippi, I was certainly
interested in the notion of a study devoted entirely to the state's
gay 20th century history. Unfortunately, I felt that the book lacked
focus and organization in the presentation of material. Sub-headings
of the book began focused but digressed into unrelated topics. The
shifting of person was bothersome as well. In first person, the book
was intimate. In third, it was analytical. Swinging both ways jarredmore info

A Humane and Surprising Queer History:

"Men Like That" takes us on journeys to places that have rarely been written about before--to sites of queer culture, to places in the heart and mind, to relationships that defy categorizing. Anyone--gay, straight, or otherwise--who has felt isolated because of their sexuality, and whose isolation was lessened by an unpredictable connection with someone else, will benefit from this well-written, well-researched, and fascinating book. Perhaps Howard's most important contribution to the history of queer life... more info

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