Semi queer : inside the world of gay, trans, and Black truck drivers / Anne Balay.

Author
Balay, Anne [Browse]
Format
Book
Language
English
Published/​Created
Chapel Hill : University of North Carolina Press, [2018]
Description
214 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Availability

Copies in the Library

Location Call Number Status Location Service Notes
Firestone Library - Stacks HQ76.3.U5 B355 2018 Browse related items Request

    Details

    Subject(s)
    Summary note
    Long-haul trucking is linked to almost every industry in America, yet somehow the working-class drivers behind big rigs remain largely hidden from public view. Gritty, inspiring, and often devastating oral histories of gay, transsexual, and minority truck drivers allow award-winning author Anne Balay to shed new light on the harsh realities of truckers' lives behind the wheel. A licensed commercial truck driver herself, Balay discovers that, for people routinely subjected to prejudice, hatred, and violence in their hometowns and in the job market, trucking can provide an opportunity for safety, welcome isolation, and a chance to be themselves--even as the low-wage work is fraught with tightening regulations, constant surveillance, danger, and exploitation. The narratives of minority and queer truckers underscore the working-class struggle to earn a living while preserving one's safety, dignity, and selfhood.
    Bibliographic references
    Includes bibliographical references (pages 203-207) and index.
    Contents
    • Starting : whoop 'n' ride : why people choose trucking, and how they prepare
    • Rolling : sailboat races : the web of regulations that shape the work of trucking
    • Stopping : getting loaded : customers, shippers, receivers
    • Rolling : drag and fly : race, racism, and trucking
    • Stopping : Jesus, take the wheel : road accidents, PTSD, and fear
    • Rolling : grabbing gears : the appeal of constant motion, especially to gay, black, and trans drivers
    • Stopping : the pickle park : truck stops and rest areas
    • Rolling : draggin' ass : persistence and endurance are working-class values
    • Stopping : what's your twenty? : Locating the queer trucker's body.
    ISBN
    • 9781469647098 (hardcover ; : alkaline paper)
    • 1469647095 (hardcover ; : alkaline paper)
    LCCN
    2018008644
    OCLC
    1028608890
    Other standard number
    • 99978032494
    Statement on language in description
    Princeton University Library aims to describe library materials in a manner that is respectful to the individuals and communities who create, use, and are represented in the collections we manage. Read more...
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