Fool for Love [Paperback]

Lisa Lees (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2005

The votes are in: marriage is between a man and a woman. What do two young people in love do, if those words don't work for them? Carys and Jami may be girls, but Carys has never willingly worn a dress and Jami, who has, is intersexed. Though being a teenager in love is never easy, for Carys and Jami falling in love with each other is a terrifying journey in self-discovery and, ultimately, trust.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

The main characters in Fool for Love are two eighteen year old girls, in the final months of high school and home school. (Of course 'girls' is the label applied by the culture in which they live; it's not a label with which either of them is completely happy.)

Jami is intersexed. I am vague about the details, because intersex is a complex topic. I don't want to make it difficult for readers to identify with Jami, and I don't want to bog the story down in esoteric medical details. Jami is into photography, computers and thinking. Her main conflict comes from feeling that she's actually something very different from what she appears to be (a charming and pretty young girl). To step out of that role is to step into danger, on many levels.

Carys falls somewhere between butch dyke and transgender in the genderqueer spectrum. She's a theater person, a clown (literally) and a big Sherlock Holmes fan. Carys has some problems with her parents and with school, where she's in the GSA. As the kind of person who is called "dyke" while she's walking down the street, Carys has a rather different set of issues than Jami.

There are a few fairly emotional scenes as Carys and Jami get to know each other. There is no graphic detail, but I try to hint at the emotional minefield that surrounds the question of sexual intimacy for some people, and what it can mean to be involved with such a person.

About the Author

Lisa Lees was born in Missouri in 1952, grew up in Oklahoma and has lived in Michigan since 1978. She is a parent of two home-schooled teens, a long-time theater volunteer and is more or less retired from working as a technical writer and systems analyst.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Lulu.com (August 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1411642686
• ISBN-13: 978-1411642683
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,058,128 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars It's tough in the real world..., January 2, 2006

By 

Michael Valdivielso (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fool for Love (Paperback)

This is the story of two people who love each other but don't fit the norm when it comes to what people see in a normal relationship. You know, the guy getting the girl all knocked up in high school and being forced to marry her, destroying any chance of them getting into college and dropping them both in dead end jobs. You know, that kind of normal.
One girl is seen as a lesbian (but she isn't, not really, because she doesn't really know what she is)and one girl is also seen as a lesbian (but she is intersexed which means...well, that's harder to explain). If you don't know what that is, then you're going to learn a lot from this book. Be prepared, some of it isn't pretty.
The story is only unrealistic in the time scale. Everything happens in three months. That's kind of fast to decide you love somebody, want to live with them and plan to skip college while diving right into life. I'm not saying there isn't love at first sight but even the most open minded parents might warn them about going too fast. ALSO, I am not saying everybody needs to go to college but a good college can help in the long run when looking for certain jobs. But I've gone off track...
The book, punished by Lulu.com, is pretty nice, well put together, with cover art by Jade Gordan who is one of the best web artists around. Lisa Lees, the author, seems to have another book, a sequel, already planned and I do look forward to it.