Customer Reviews

You're Not from Around Here, Are You?: A Lesbian in Small-Town America (Living Out: Gay and Lesbian Autobiog)

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

 

 

I was a student at the university where Ms. Blum taught while she was pregnant. Working in the book business, I stumbled upon an advertisement for this title in the publishers' catalog. (Of all catalogs to accidentally be placed in my mailbox, of all the pages the catalog could have opened to when it fell out of my mailbox, and of all the things that usually distract me from noticing a name I found familiar - it's a wonder all the pieces fell in place.) Anyway, I immediately ordered the book - if for no other reason than for the fact that it intertwined with my personal history with the university and the Pennsylvania towns she writes about. But I think the book is more than a piece of history. Her words are fluid and poetic. I gobbled up the chapters as if it were chocolate-y fiction, sneaking it in between breaks at work. It speaks to me as a woman, as a "non-traditional" worshipper of religious faith, and as someone who hopes to have her own children someday. I would, and have, recommended this memoir to many people.

I hope my review isn't seen as less credible because of this, but I know Louise, her wife, and their amazing daughter. She attended a summer camp where I was a counselor and I have to say that she's the most self-actualized individual I have ever known. She's an amazing person, due in no small part to what her moms have gone through in bringing her into the world. :)

I'd been wanting to read this book for quite a while once I realized it was out there. I was amazed at how this slim volume brought such a myriad of emotions to the surface. One minute I was laughing, the next minute I was so sad, then I was angry and militant, then disgusted at the evil of some people, then comforted by the love that Connie and Louise obviously share. It's a great book...with a wonderful, frank, conversational style that doesn't hide the facts, but doesn't spare the rich details. You feel like you are right there with them. The dialogue is honest and fleshed out very well. No small wonder, considering Louise's writing abilities!

Whether you are gay or straight, consider reading this book. It will help you understand how hard it is to be gay and how wonderful it is as well. And hopefully, it might make you see that it doesn't matter what sexual orientation parents have...just that they truly love and want their children. :)

Louise Blum has given us a book that will make you laugh at the outrageous behavior of "decent" people, will make you cry for her struggle to be accepted on her own terms, make you ache with her yearning and cheer for her triumph. Whether you love women or men, the love story touches your heart. But mostly, this book is glaringly honest and doesn't shy from truth on any front. I loved it!

I read Ms. Blum's book for a Sociology class. I actually started reading it before hand on the recommendation of a friend. I must say that this book is amazing. Ir gives you a view of gay life away from the normal booze drugs and sex. Also Ms. Blum is extremely witty. She is brutally honest about her pregnancy and the troubles it caused her! She also talks in DEPTH about the birth of her daughter. Though I thought some of the sex scenes were too graphic other than that I thought this book to be an amazing read!

For years I have yearned for a book about committed Lesbians who do not jump around from one bed to another. Finally, I found this book and thoroughly enjoyed the story and the excellent writing. This female couple experiences the ups and downs not only of married life, but of going through the difficult and exasperating ordeal of getting pregnant through artificial insemination along with the stress it takes on their relationship. While all this is going on, they are living in a small town among citizens who vary from those who encourage and support them to those who write ugly letters and throw rocks through their windows. As soon as I finished reading this book, I handed it to my partner and said, "You'll like this book."

I think of memoirs, biographies and autobiographies as a special treat. I found this particular book fascinating. The simple language, the sincerety of the author, her struggles to love and to be loved and to be mother and a member of a society in a small American town - all these aspects captured my heart. As a person who likes gay people and do not consider them "abnormal", I was ashamed to read about close-minded people's attitudes like hate mails, obscene phone calls and nasty rumors. I wish the author, her wife and their adorable child all the luck and resistance and optimism in the world. Society changes. It will get gay people. Things will be ok.