Stonewall is probably the most famous gay bar in the world. As the site of the 1969 riots, it is widely regarded as the birthplace of the gay rights movement. Yet from 1970-1990, the space was inhabited by any number of other non-bar businesses.
In 1990, Jimmy Pisano decided to open his first bar at 53 Christopher Street, where Stonewall previously stood. The business was a rousing failure, except in one respect. Though it lost money every year he owned it, Jimmy refused to let it close. He refused to let it revert to being another Chinese restaurant or bagel shop or any of the other irrelevant squatters. Jimmy died in 1994, just three months before the 25th Anniversary of the original Stonewall Riots and long before the space would receive multiple landmark designations and become a U.S. National Monument. If not for Jimmy Pisano's efforts, the annual Gay Pride Parade could easily be marching past a Starbucks every June instead of a living icon to gay rights. Pisano is the forgotten footnote in the history of Stonewall.
Stonewall Revival is inspired by those early years of Stonewall's resurrection. The story is told from the perspective of Pisano's lover, Tom, who had never previously strayed from the straight and narrow. Like any good revival, the story mixes hyper-theatrical characters with real and imagined encounters with Broadway notables.
Used. Good condition. Some wear and tear. Minor shelf wear to the bottom of the book. Some damage to the front cover and spine of the book. Small crease on the front cover, near the bottom right front corner.