Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by luluwoohoo
The Greatest Menace: Inside the Gay Prison Experiment by Simon Cunich, Patrick Abboud
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
The Greatest Menace: Inside The Gay Prison Experiment by Patrick Abboud, Simon Cunich (audiobook narrated by Patrick Abboud)
☀️☀️☀️☀️
A podcast that explores the history of sexual criminalisation in Australia, focusing particular attention on Cooma prison and it's revitalisation as a "gay prison" in the 1950s - a history that was since hidden and buried, until now.
This series is heartbreaking to follow in any context, but particularly as a bisexual Australian it moved me to hear in great detail the harrowing treatment queer people in my country were subjected to within my parents lifetime, and the long lasting impacts this has had on people.
Abboud takes great care during his narration to introduce us to key players of the 1950s and 60s including psychologists, politicians and those criminally convicted for being gay. I will admit at times I found the various names hard to keep track of, and might have followed along easier if I'd written down who each person was in relation to the story, but I was nonetheless fascinated by the scope of this story.
The personal experience of Abboud added another layer of emotional integrity to the project, and it explained why he committed to unveiling this story. Of course I was left a bit disappointed at the end that the holy grail of documents could not be unearthed, but I hope to see an update on this in the future.
This audiobook is short but incredibly impactful, and is a must do for those invested in queer history in Australia.
☀️☀️☀️☀️
A podcast that explores the history of sexual criminalisation in Australia, focusing particular attention on Cooma prison and it's revitalisation as a "gay prison" in the 1950s - a history that was since hidden and buried, until now.
This series is heartbreaking to follow in any context, but particularly as a bisexual Australian it moved me to hear in great detail the harrowing treatment queer people in my country were subjected to within my parents lifetime, and the long lasting impacts this has had on people.
Abboud takes great care during his narration to introduce us to key players of the 1950s and 60s including psychologists, politicians and those criminally convicted for being gay. I will admit at times I found the various names hard to keep track of, and might have followed along easier if I'd written down who each person was in relation to the story, but I was nonetheless fascinated by the scope of this story.
The personal experience of Abboud added another layer of emotional integrity to the project, and it explained why he committed to unveiling this story. Of course I was left a bit disappointed at the end that the holy grail of documents could not be unearthed, but I hope to see an update on this in the future.
This audiobook is short but incredibly impactful, and is a must do for those invested in queer history in Australia.
"The damage that these things do to individuals is incalculable. I think one of the reasons you're having trouble finding people who've been at Cooma is probably related to that [...] I would imagine there's a very high suicide rate for people who have been basically psychologically tortured in an extreme way, and in a way that they had no framework to comprehend, while they've been incarcerated by the state."