Unruly Desires
American Sailors and Homosexualities in the Age of Sail

William Benemann writes an engaging history of homosexuality in the British and American mercantile and national navies. The issue is difficult to research because except for captain's logs and some archival legal information, little information exists on the life of sailors before the 20th century.......more

This book was suggested for me on Kindle Unlimited and I ended up purchasing after reading it. Much of the history of LGBTQ+ individuals has been assiduously (and ignobly) been avoided in the American history classroom which leaves the impression of historical societal invisibility. This book was ca......more

Very niche but interesting subject! It’s more academic than reader-friendly in terms of the writing style, definitely reads like a doctoral dissertation adapted into a book. You’ll definitely learn a lot you didn’t know about sailor culture. I appreciate how thoroughly the author worked to recapture......more

Gruesome but fascinating and informative. Do not read if you find accounts of assault and rape, including of children, triggering. They are all throughout this book. Most of the actual accounts of m/m sexual encounters in this book are assaults and rapes (including of children), and the author doesn'......more

Very interesting study on Sailors and homosexual behavior. Although there is little available in the way of journals, studies, etc, it is an interesting read, esp the detail of the Dartmoor Prison Massacre in England during the War of 1812. One does wonder what there actually was before the individu......more