I Am a Woman [Paperback]

Ann Bannon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 28, 2002

Lauded as the “Queen of Lesbian Pulp” for her landmark novels of the 1950s, Ann Bannon defined lesbian fiction for the pre-Stonewall generation. Following the release of Cleis Press’s new editions of Beebo Brinker and Odd Girl Out, I Am a Woman finds sorority sister Laura Landon leaving college heartbreak behind and embracing Greenwich Village’s lesbian bohemia. This edition includes a new introduction by the author. “Shameless tales of wanton dyke lust are finally unveiled!” — Out magazine

Product Details

• Paperback: 200 pages
• Publisher: Cleis Press (February 28, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573441457
• ISBN-13: 978-1573441452
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #842,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My Favorite Book of All Time, March 27, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: I Am a Woman (Paperback)

The only reason this book rated as a nine rather than a ten is because of the time period in which it was written lends to a negative tone towards lesbianism and male homosexuality.
This book was like a fountain in the desert to me when I was a young lesbian. It was orginally written and published in the 1950's.
The complete title of the book is actually "I am A Woman In Love With a Woman Must Society Reject Me."
Ann Bannon has said she wrote the book in order to save her own sanity. I know it helped save mine.
The novel revolves around Laura who has left college because Beth, her first lover, chose to marry a man rather than continue the relationship with Laura.
Laura, an enigmatic young woman, delicately blonde, tries to turn her back on her lesbian feelings, and live her life with no emotional involvement.
Fate has other things in mind for Laura. Thru her roommate Marcie and Marcie's ex-husband, Burr, Laura meets a cyncial, witty, highly intelligent and closeted gay man, Jack.
And thru Jack, Laura meets one of the most famous butch lesbian characters of all time, the boyishly handsome, charmatic Beebo Brinker.
I have read and re-read this book perhaps a dozen times or more, and will undoubtedly read it yet again.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it !, September 7, 2003

By 

M. Rivera "jadedrose_2" (San Bruno, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I Am a Woman (Paperback)

I just love how the character Laura went from Odd Girl Out to this part of her life. Jack Mann is my type of guy I hated him at first since he seemed like a smart-...to me . But I started getting to know him through the whole series of Ann Bannon's books and he really is the Man.I was surpeised how the main character Laura became a strong yet brash woman and her acceptance on who she is almost brings tears to once eye. But I still think she's nuts. But its well written and I still read it over and over.

1.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book, HORRIBLE Kindle edition, September 12, 2011

By 

R. Rawson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: I Am a Woman (Kindle Edition)

May I first say very specifically that this review is for the Kindle version of this book rather than for the book itself. The book is well written and a fascinating look at what it was like to be homosexual in the author's day and age, and I can't recommend it enough. Trust me, whether you're a lesbian, a feminist, a straight male, or any other sort of human being, you'll be able to identify with Laura's struggle to understand who she is in an unforgiving and unaccepting society.
However, I am forced to rate this wonderful book poorly due to the terrible Kindle edition. This was one of three books that I purchased for my new Kindle app on my ipod touch, and my terrible experience with it and the others has brought me to the point of having zero interest in buying any other Kindle books, ever. I don't care how cheap the Kindle edition of this book is, as a customer who paid any of my limited money that I worked hard to earn, I have a right to expect a book that isn't full of horrible typos and even missing sentences. Amazon, do you not make any attempt to have an editor check over the books you sell through your Kindle service? Repeatedly, the flow of the story was interrupted by mangled words.
I had been looking forward to reading this book ever since Ann Bannon's work was brought up and discussed in one of my college courses, but I found the experience to be diminished greatly by the terrible, unedited Kindle version. And a quick search engine query shows that this seems to be fairly common in Kindle books.
Needless to say, I won't be spending money on any more Kindle ebooks.