Customer Reviews

The Girls Next Door

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a clever, informative book that attempts to explore the lesbian experience in the US without taking itself too seriously. The authors' breezy, almost conversational tone makes this a fun and educational read. Far from being elitist, the authors have attempted (and succeeded, IMO) to portray to vast diversity within our culture, from the Birkenstock-clad Michigan womyn to the lipstick crowd at Dinah, and everything in between. They sometimes poke gentle fun at some of the absurdities of lesbian society, without being critical or judgmental. I highly recommend this book for anyone, gay or straight, who wants to learn something about lesbian life and culture.

Most people associate non-fiction with "dry and boring." This book is not dry or boring in any way. There are parts that had me laughing so hard tears were rolling down my cheeks. I especially enjoyed the chapter on the Michigan Womyn's Music Festival and the Lesbian Avengers. Funny and insightful stuff. It isn't intended to be purely comedic and there are some serious parts. (It isn't fluff writing). The authors just have a witty writing style and they aren't afraid to poke fun at dyke culture. They interviewed over 100 women in preparation for this book (sex shop owners, ex-nuns, political activists, closeted teachers, sex workers, divorced lesbians, long-term couples, etc).

This book is an excellent resource for the burning question "how do i meet people like me?" It is an excellent look at the lesbian/gay lifestyle in the US today, while being both very entertaining and educational. Many of the stories and places mentioned seem to center around the Southern California area, with specific club names and local contributors. I loved this book and all of the stories that these two intelligent women had the courage and humor to tell. I would recommend this book to anyone hoping to learn more about themselves or loved ones.

When I started reading this book, I could hardly set it down but for a moment. This book tells of a realistic lesbian existance in this world, much to many people's dismay. It is a multi-faceted approach that deals with a community of women--their lives, interests, and pasttimes. It is also a good book for resources of various sorts: musical, social, environmental, political, etc.

Who should read this book? The answer is: everyone should read it, both straight and gay, if for nothing else than to see how their labels and misconceptions stack up against the real thing. The "real thing" that the authors deliver comes from more than a hundred interviews with women around the country. They also take the reader to three lesbian events; the Michigan Womyns' Music Festival, the Dinah Shore Golf Tournament's party events, and a jaunt with the activist group Lesbian Avengers. All adventures and descriptions bring the reader closer (and farther away) from understanding women-loving-women in America, and the authors' style is intensely serious and at the same time, irreverent, funny and witty. The reader gets wonderful insights like, "Straights and gay men often just do what feels good. Lesbians analyze it, challenge it, justify it, wring it out and hang it up to dry on the village green." In a society that fears the unknown and is seeking desperately to preserve the traditional family, this book will help put faces and names on those not-so-terrible girls next door

My partner and I thought we'd wrote the book and slammed it shut with knowing authority on all aspects and nuances of our 16 year relationship. "TGND" provided a point of departure for many hours of new conversation and laughs for us. Lindsey and Pamela should hang out a shingle: they're great therapists, writers and chroniclers (however possible it is to capture the lesbian lifestyle between two covers...) of greater dykedom. When's the next volume due -- I'll order it on futures!

As the carefully selected cover might infer this book gives much homage to lesbians of the lipstick variety (a worthy subject no doubt). However, on their trip to the "heart of lesbian america" physical beauty is singled out as the most important way to these women's hearts. Initially they do a good round-up of lesbian culture and hotspots. But they fluctuate between humor that touches all of us at one time or another and humor that is at the expense of lesbians that didn't make the Miss America cut. One woman's appearance is compared with a gorilla. On another occasion they go on a bender about "hefty bag ladies." On top of this the interviews are carefully worded so that we can be constantly reminded that none of the interviewees hate men (as if that should be such a focal point in a book about culture by and for women). Just to figure out where these ladies were coming from I picked up an issue of Allure (van gelder is an editor for the mag). Well the only thing I could find that she wrote was a nice little piece about how to make eyeshadow work with your complexion. Low blow? Maybe but these women hit below the belt everytime. If you want an interesting and smart look at lesbian culture and history take a look at Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers by Lillian Faderman.