Queer Encounters with Communist Power: Non-heterosexual Lives and the State in Czechoslovakia, 1948–1989 by Věra Sokolová (review).

"Queer Encounters with Communist Power: Non-heterosexual Lives and the State in Czechoslovakia, 1948–1989" by Věra Sokolová is a book that explores queer history in Czechoslovakia during the state-socialist era. The author utilizes oral histories and autobiographies to shed light on the experiences of queer individuals, including queer women and transgender individuals. The book argues that while the state-socialist regime attempted to erase queer visibility, it also left room for queer agency. The author emphasizes the importance of situating queer history within broader frameworks of gender, politics, and discursive regulation of sexuality. However, the book could have provided more analysis on the impact of key events and the methodological implications of using oral histories. Overall, the book is a valuable contribution to understanding everyday practices of queer life in Czechoslovakia during state socialism. [Extracted from the article]