Customer Reviews

The Very Inside: An Anthology of Writings by Asian & Pacific Islander Lesbians

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

 

 

There is no other book like this. This book represents a Stonewall of the API lesbigay women: a watershed moment, a beginning of the epoch, a springtime, a birth, with the concurrent cheerfulness and optimism about what we can all be....

And no, it's not sappy, new Age, melodramatic. The writers just tell it like it is, unvarnished. The worst fault is that in some works, there is this cute bravado found only in individuals who have not quite experienced a broken heart or betrayal or demoralization. These are inevitable in the development of any political movement. Again, this anthology is about a beginning, not a history: there hasn't been time to have a long history, and there aren't that many of us to begin with (hundreds or thousands?).

It's well edited. This is not one of those anthologies where everyone and anyone is allowed to put in whatever. I think the editor had a firm, guiding hand in putting all the work in best but truthful light possible.

The voices represented are truly varied ethnically. There are essays, poetry, some visual art.

It would be difficult to do a follow up to this great anthology, although I think a nice postscript, a "whatever happened to..." is in order.

This anthology is emotionally engaging--the poetry is both moving and funny. Personal essays and more academic analyses make this a well rounded text about API Lesbians and Bisexual women.