"Truly unique and fascinating ... Desire Work sheds new light on Africa. . . . Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, and professionals." — W. Arens, Choice
"Desire Work is a remarkably rich, detailed, and passionate ethnography. . . . As gender studies in Africa continues to grow as a field, this book provides a needed contribution to understanding homosexuality and masculinity among . . . men in the first country in the world whose constitution outlawed homophobic discrimination: South Africa." — Dianna Bell, Journal of Religion in Africa
"Hackman has written a rich book that is worth reading by anyone interested in the intersection of religions and masculinities." — Siphiwe Dube, Transformation
"Desire Work is a rich and fascinating ethnographic study worth reading by anyone with an academic interest in gender, sexuality, and self-making in evangelical and Pentecostal Christian circles." — Adriaan van Klinken, H-Africa, H-Net Reviews
"There is no doubt that Desire Work is an important book, o?ering the reader glimpses into the wider body of work on the subject. It is written in an accessible, engaging, and compassionate style, and makes a contribution to the ?eld of gender and sexuality studies as well as opening up new avenues for theological exploration." — Beverley Haddad, Anthropological Forum
“Desire Work is not the quintessential ethnography gathered by a neutral participant-observer nor is it a work written for the disinterested reader. Desire Work emerges as a genuine and serious description of the challenges and struggles of South African men who must navigate the overlapping layers of societal, cultural, and religious demands as they seek a pathway that allows for faithful, authentic expression of masculinity and sexuality.” — Eddie L. Journey, Asian Journal of Social Science
"The book presents an honest and refreshing account of the methodological challenges of conducting such research. ... [It] will be useful speci?cally to those wanting to understand the ex-gay movement and Pentecostalism as well as to those interested in the intersection of sexuality, gender, and nationality." — Alex Toft, American Journal of Sociology
“A timely contribution to a growing literature on gay issues in Africa.…”
— Cal Biruk, Canadian Journal of African Studies
“Melissa Hackman makes an important contribution to existing literature on global Pentecostalism and gender and sexuality studies with this analysis of the technologies of gendered, sexual, religious, and racial self-making in postapartheid South Africa. Hackman astutely observes that postapartheid constitutional recognition of LGBT rights created an environment for this ministry of predominantly white men to come out and self-identify as ‘ex-gay,’ thus realigning themselves with a persistent apartheid social hierarchy that privileges white heterosexual males.” — Judith Casselberry, author of The Labor of Faith: Gender and Power in Black Apostolic Pentecostalism
“One of Desire Work's great contributions is Melissa Hackman's ability to put a human face on the men who try but fail to convert to heterosexuality. I very much enjoy her personal touch in relating stories about her experiences and her subjects, and she has done an extraordinary job of eliciting extremely personal insights from her subjects, in some cases letting them hang themselves with their own words, and in others, allowing us to share their pain, confusion, and cruel optimism. I love this book.” — Marc Epprecht, author of Sexuality and Social Justice in Africa: Rethinking Homophobia and Forging Resistance