"A bold and original argument that upends the myth of the Fifties as a decade of conformity to celebrate the solitary, brave, and stubborn individuals who pioneered the radical gay rights, feminist, civil rights, and environmental movements, from historian James R. Gaines"-- Provided by publisher.

Introduction: Seeing in the dark --Gay rights: "To be nobody but yourself" -- Feminism: "Meet Jane Crow" -- Civil rights: The war after the wars -- Ecology: Before we knew -- Epilogue: The best of us.