The Log Books

Voices from Queer Britain and the Helpline that Listened

De: Tash Walker, Adam Zmith

Narrado por: Tash Walker, Adam Zmith, Robyn Holdaway

In a crawlspace at the offices of Switchboard, a queer helpline in operation since 1974, lie dozens of log books kept by volunteers describing the phone calls they had taken: a teenager kicked out of home for dressing as the wrong gender; a lesbian terrified of having her baby taken away from her; a man arrested for chatting up another man; a young person wanting to know how to come out.

These logs documented traces of tens of thousands of queer lives, captured by people who lent an ear to those in need. The logs are a bridge to a past hidden from people like Tash Walker and Adam Zmith in their youth. Growing up under Section 28, which banned 'promoting the teaching of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship', Walker and Zmith encountered people grappling with feelings, questions and problems both familiar and different, and set out to learn from those on both sides of the calls.

The Log Books is a collection which captures queer lives in stunning detail, a journey of collective history and self-discovery.

©2026 Tash Walker & Adam Zmith (P)2026 Bolinda Publishing

Reseñas de la Crítica

'A fantastic journey through an overlooked archive bursting with humanity and real life on every page.' (Dan Snow, historian, broadcaster and television presenter)