“The Gay Metropolis” by Charles Kaiser

I’m currently halfway through this work and it’s absolutely thrilling. In documenting the evolution of gay life and gay rights in America, Kaiser defines decades through anecdotes, rather than presenting a sterile or long-winded regurgitation of events. This format not only helps the reader retain defining characteristics of each decade from the 1940’s to the 1990’s, but it endows each story with a sense of intimacy—almost like someone’s telling you the story at a bar—that makes for truly compelling nonfiction.