Synopses & Reviews
In the years since Vermont became the first state to legalize civil unions for gay and lesbian couples, the issue has grown from an item for state legislature agendas to one for national debate. But David Moats tells the intimate story behind the larger public battle. In an account of unstoppable narrative power, he introduces the couples who filed the suit; the lawyers who spent years championing the case; and the one openly gay legislator in Vermont who ensured victory with an impassioned, deeply personal speech delivered to the House at a crucial moment. And in a new afterword, Moats brings the story fully up to date by detailing the latest developments in the gay-marriage debate.
Civil Wars is a remarkable drama of democracy at work on a human scale-and a critical guidebook for anyone interested in the struggle yet to come.
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"A heartening book, and tonic for these politically polarized times." Kentucky Courier-Journal
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"A moving account of the battle in Vermont." The New York Times Book Review
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"A thoroughly engaging narrative that is poignant and provocative." Baltimore Sun
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PRAISE FOR CIVIL WARS
"Civil Wars comes at the right moment. With its modesty and moral suasion, it may calm the polarizing national debate to come. Moats succeeds for many of the reasons that the debate succeeded. He tells the story on a human scale."-The New York Times Book Review
"Like a nonfiction version of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird . . . Civil Wars is a page-turner that may have readers so engrossed in its storytelling, they forget the controversial nature of its subject matter." -The Nashville Scene
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"Moasts opens in an epic manner... and reports clearly and fairly from a thoroughly secular perspective." Booklist
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"A page-turner that may have readers so engrossed in its storytelling, they forget the controversial nature of its subject matter." Nashville Scene
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"Insightful cultural history enlivened by well-rendered characters, sweeping events, and a clearly argued pro-gay marriage agenda." Publishers Weekly
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"A fascinating book." The Desert News
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"CIVIL WARS comes at the right moment. With modesty and moral suasion, it may calm the polarizing national debate." The New York Times
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"Sparely elegant. It is valuable reading for anyone who wants to understand one of the central issues of our time." <br> Yankee
Synopsis
In 2000 Vermont became the first state to grant gay and lesbian couples the right to join in civil unions-a groundbreaking decision that has inspired similar legislation in six states thus far. But it was not an easy victory; the ruling sparked the fiercest political conflict in the state's memory. David Moats was in the thick of it, writing a series of balanced, humane editorials that earned a Pulitzer Prize. Now he tells the intimate stories behind the battle and introduces us to all the key actors in the struggle, including the couples who first filed suit; the lawyers who spent years championing the case; and the only openly gay legislator in Vermont, who ensured victory with an impassioned, deeply personal speech on the House floor at a crucial moment.
Civil Wars is a remarkable drama of democracy at work on a human scale.
About the Author
David Moats is the editorial page editor of the Rutland Herald, where he won that paper's first Pulitzer Prize for his series of editorials in support of same-sex unions. His articles have appeared in the New York Times and the Wash-ington Post. He lives in Middlebury, Vermont.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
OUR COMMON HUMANITY
BEGINNINGS
FREEDOM
FAMILY
THE CASE
THINK ANEW
ACT ANEW
A LOVER'S QUARREL
WHAT IS THE HARM?
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
BIBLIOGRAPHY
INDEX