“In The Un-Natural State readers learn a great deal about the history of queer Arkansas. Thompson does an admirable job of linking contradictory discourses around gender, sexuality, class, and race to show how they affected the emergence of a queer community across the state. … what Thompson gives us with The Un-Natural State is a bird’s eye view of the queer South in all its contrariness, complexity, and irreverence.”
—E. Patrick Johnson, Teachers College Record, July 2011
“Thompson’s book is a readable, informative, and thoroughly researched addition to scholarship about LGBT life in the South.”
—Jeff Mann, Appalachian Journal, Fall 2011 / Winter 2012
“Unlike most queer histories, this book is notable for its discussion of lesbians alongside gay men and drag. Thompson’s innovative use of oral histories, newsletters and newspapers, and court, prison, and legislative records reveals a rich narrative that traditional historical methods would never have uncovered. … Thompson’s book is of vital importance for all historians and queer scholars alike.”
—Michael P. Bibler, Journal of American History, September 2011