Alex Cabe reviewed Secret City by James Kirchick
Well Reported, But Limited
3 stars
I was impressed by the quality of the reporting, the depth of the sources, and the ability to draw characters. The book starts out pretty repetitive, with stories of various government officials getting outted and fired, but quickly broadens its focus and gives more flavor for the city.
The author is moderately successful in linking themes across eras, and sets up suspense well from time to time.
It admittedly focused on gay men much more than women, and there was only a little coverage of people of color. There were a few presidents like Nixon or Reagan that received extensive coverage and others that were glossed over.
About three quarters of the way through the book, I read a column the author had written about trans issues that I found disappointing, and I have to admit it somewhat soured the rest of the book for me. I read with more …
I was impressed by the quality of the reporting, the depth of the sources, and the ability to draw characters. The book starts out pretty repetitive, with stories of various government officials getting outted and fired, but quickly broadens its focus and gives more flavor for the city.
The author is moderately successful in linking themes across eras, and sets up suspense well from time to time.
It admittedly focused on gay men much more than women, and there was only a little coverage of people of color. There were a few presidents like Nixon or Reagan that received extensive coverage and others that were glossed over.
About three quarters of the way through the book, I read a column the author had written about trans issues that I found disappointing, and I have to admit it somewhat soured the rest of the book for me. I read with more suspicion and became more hypercritical (page 684 refers to the Medal of Honor where it should refer to the Medal of Freedom). New rule for myself: if it's an author I don't know already, no reading their other work or social media until I've finished the book.