Stone Butch Blues: A Novel [Paperback]

Leslie Feinberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Published in 1993, this brave, original novel is considered to be the finest account ever written of the complexities of a transgendered existence.

Woman or man? That’s the question that rages like a storm around Jess Goldberg, clouding her life and her identity. Growing up differently gendered in a blue--collar town in the 1950’s, coming out as a butch in the bars and factories of the prefeminist ’60s, deciding to pass as a man in order to survive when she is left without work or a community in the early ’70s. This powerful, provocative and deeply moving novel sees Jess coming full circle, she learns to accept the complexities of being a transgendered person in a world demanding simple explanations: a he-she emerging whole, weathering the turbulence.

Leslie Feinberg is also the author of Trans Liberation, Trans Gender Warriors and Transgender Liberation, and is a noted activist and speaker on transgender issues.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This compelling but uneven first novel follows the sexual travails of lesbian Jess Goldberg. At its start she is a girl who feels confused by strict ideas about gender and who wonders if she might be a "he-she" since people often ask whether she is a boy or a girl. Constantly searching, she quickly moves from trying on her father's suits to visiting bars and transforming herself into a full-blown "butch," complete with her own dildo. As police crackdowns on gay bars result in more than one night in jail, Goldberg decides to begin taking male hormones and have a breast reduction in order to pass as a man. Although she delights in visiting the barber and being able to use the men's room--and even manages to make love to a woman without being discovered--the emotional complications of changing her sex (and hence her identity) build up until she ceases to take her hormone shots. Certain transmutations, like her lowered voice, cannot be reversed, however, so she is now even less defined as a member of a specific gender. Goldberg and her like-minded friends who have embraced the butch/femme dichotomy find they have no place in either the nascent women's or gay pride movements. Feinberg attempts to present Goldberg's life as the personal side of political history, but the narrative seems unattached to time despite the insertion of landmark events like the Stonewall riot and the mention of Reagan and the Moral Majority.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Review

"A gift from one of the most inspiring and revolutionary voices of our time." --Emanuel Xavier, author of Americano -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Alyson Books (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555838537
• ISBN-13: 978-1555838539
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (97 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for learning about the Human Spirit! August 23, 1998

By Tracy Thomas ([e-mail]

Format:Paperback

Author Leslie Feinberg has done a remarkable thing in the writing of Stone Butch Blues. The author has opened her soul to anyone who reads and exposed us each to our own fears of being different no matter how slight it may be. Being a gay male, reading this book was recommeded to me by a lesbian friend. At first I was reading it out of respect for my friend, but I found myself unable to put the book down. The story is endearing to anyone who desires to know more about the human spirit and the need and will to survive. I laughed, cried and saw myself in so many of the fears, questions, lonley times and good times experienced by Jess, the Stone Butch. Thank you Leslie Feinberg for the way you gave us a piece of your soul in the book and allowed us to become a little more accepting of our differences and of who we are.

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stone Butch Blues is a beautiful book. November 18, 1999

By Rebecca

Format:Paperback

Three days ago I began this book, today I finished it. I can not remember if I have ever read a book like this. I smiled and laughed out loud. My heart ached and I cried myself to sleep. As a femme, I wanted to reach out to Jess and protect her. It opened my heart and my mind. I think Jess is strong and beautiful. Praise to all the Butches out there who hurt and continue to struggle.

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Intensely moving January 22, 2005

By Stephen G. Shumate

Format:Paperback

This book is not only an important historical chronicle for the gay community, it is a compelling novel. The characters take on their own lives and make us care for them. They are true to the time in which they live. I was deeply touched by this book. I simply cannot recommend it highly enough. I think it is very important that we as a community realize where we have come from and appreciate the sacrifices others made for rights we now take for granted. Having said that, this book is never preachy. You could read it simply as a character study and it would stand on its own and still be fascinating. A must-read for any lesbian, but especially for any stone butch or butch. I am not a lesbian, I am just a lesbian-lover, but feel that this book gave me deeper insights into several women I have known through the years, and especially into the life of one very special friend.