Virtual Book Club: The Einstein of Sex: Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld by Daniel Brook

Join us for this month's book club! Our 85th book is The Einstein of Sex: Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, Visionary of Weimar Berlin

BOOK:
More than a century ago, Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld, dubbed the “Einstein of Sex,” grew famous (and infamous) for his liberating theory of sexual relativity. Today, he’s been largely forgotten.

Journalist Daniel Brook retraces Hirschfeld’s rollicking life and reinvigorates his legacy, recovering one of the great visionaries of the twentieth century. In an era when gay sex was a crime and gender roles rigid, Hirschfeld taught that each of us is their own unique mixture of masculinity and femininity. Through his public advocacy for gay rights and his private counseling of patients toward self-acceptance, he became the intellectual impresario of Berlin’s cabaret scene and helped turn his hometown into the world’s queer capital. But he also enraged the Nazis, who ransacked his Institute for Sexual Science and burned his books.

Driven from his homeland, Hirschfeld traveled to America, Asia, and the Middle East to research sexuality on a global scale. Through his harrowing lived experience of antisemitic persecution and a pivotal late-in-life interracial romance, he came to see that race, like gender, was a human invention. Hirschfeld spent his final years in exile trying to warn the world of the genocidal dangers of racism.

CONTENT NOTES*:
Graphic
Racism, Homophobia, Antisemitism

Moderate
Hate crime, Mental illness, Sexism

Minor
Misogyny, Sexual content, Suicide

*Content warnings pulled from Storygraph. If any were missed, please message Maura and they will amend the event page!

LOCATION: our homes

ACCESS:
Since this discussion will take place over zoom, live captioning/transcription is available through zoom and will be enabled. Send other accessibility questions or requests to Maura and they will work with you to find a solution/accommodation.

IMAGE DESCRIPTION FOR COVER PHOTO: Book cover on the right features black and white photos of people from Weimar Berlin. Author photo on right shows a black and white photo of a white man with a soft smile and patterned shirt.