The Seduction of Youth

The Seduction of Youth offers a new perspective on the history of the Weimar Republic by exploring the intersection between the homosexual movement, print culture, and homophobic fears about the seduction of young boys.

Javier Samper Vendrell is an assistant professor of German Studies at Grinnell College.

"In this concise and conceptually elegant study, Javier Samper Vendrell examines the ideas, business enterprises, advocacy, and organizing work of Friedrich Radszuweit, a leading figure in the Weimar homosexual rights movement."

Christopher Ewing, Virginia Commonwealth University:

"Not only has Samper Vendrell written a book that is potentially generative of new histories of this moment, but his dexterity in handling the difficult themes of youth, consent, and abuse in the context of homosexual emancipation will also undoubtably serve as a model for future studies."

Geoffrey J Giles, Department of History, University of Florida:
"Javier Samper Vendrell has combed through many rare and not easily accessible journals from the 1920s, contributing to the book's extensive and insightful research on homosexuality and the League for Human Rights."

Clayton Whisnant, Department of History, Wofford College:
"Discussing the role that anxiety played in the topic of youth and homosexuality in the 1920s and 1930s, The Seduction of Youth tackles this subject as well as several other underappreciated issues that were used in an effort to mobilize cultural and government action against the homosexual movement."