Cassell's Encyclopedia of Queer Myth, Symbol and Spirit: Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Lore

Conner (Blossom of Bone: Reclaiming the Connections Between Homoeroticism and the Sacred, HarperCollins, 1993), ethnomusicologist David Sparks, and their daughter, Mariya Sparks, have written an engaging encyclopedia that endeavors to bring to light the queer (i.e., gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered) elements in a variety of spiritual traditions and in the arts. The coverage ranges from Islam to Shamanism to Queer Spirit. A short essay is provided about each spiritual tradition. Over 1500 articles cover individuals (historical and legendary), groups, and symbols. Entries are listed alphabetically and range from a sentence ("Andro") to six and a half pages ("Gallos"). No See references are provided, but a thematic index and a selected bibliography of almost 600 sources appear at the back of the book. Unfortunately, however, bibliographies are not offered for individual articles, and citations within the articles are inconsistent, e.g., under the entry "Sots and Sotties," Ida Nelson's quote gets a proper citation while Mikhail Bakhtin's does not. Such drawbacks make this potentially controversial book less useful for scholarly research. However, it is an interesting and provocative work; no other book presents the queer elements found in such a broad range of spiritual traditions. Recommended for large collections in religion or gay and lesbian studies. - LIBRARY JOURNAL