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Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America by [Lillian Faderman]

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Lillian Faderman

Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America Kindle Edition

by Lillian Faderman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.5 146 ratings

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As Lillian Faderman writes, there are "no constants with regard to lesbianism," except that lesbians prefer women. In this groundbreaking book, she reclaims the history of lesbian life in twentieth-century America, tracing the evolution of lesbian identity and subcultures from early networks to more recent diverse lifestyles. She draws from journals, unpublished manuscripts, songs, media accounts, novels, medical literature, pop culture artifacts, and oral histories by lesbians of all ages and backgrounds, uncovering a narrative of uncommon depth and originality.

Print length

404 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Columbia University Press
Publication date

February 21, 2012
File size

3011 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lillian Faderman is professor emerita of English at California State University, Fresno, and author of the award-winning Surpassing the Love of Men: Romantic Friendship and Love Between Women from the Renaissance to the Present and Scotch Verdict: Miss Pirie and Miss Woods v. Dame Cumming Gordon. She is also the author of Naked in the Promised Land: A Memoir and To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done for America―a History, and coauthor of Gay L. A.: A History of Sexual Outlaws, Power Politics, And Lipstick Lesbians. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

From Library Journal

Faderman charts the evolution of the concept of the "lesbian" as a 20th-century social construct and shows how love between women, once known at the turn of the century by such terms as "romantic friendship" or "sentimental friendship," came to be called "lesbianism." What was once not a realistic alternative to marriage became possible as women became educated, demanded equal rights, and came out of the home and into the workforce. With increased opportunities for independence, women no longer needed men's financial support to survive and, as a result, love between women was no longer perceived as innocently as it had been in the past. This is a much-needed book and is highly recommended for all public libraries both for its information about the perception and treatment of this particular minority group in America, as well as for its historical and sociological contribution. Its scholarly approach and content also make it a necessity for women's studies collections.
- Patricia Sarles, Mt. Sinai Medical Ctr., New York
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the digital edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00757WID8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Columbia University Press; Reprint edition (February 21, 2012)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 21, 2012
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 3011 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 404 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #822,576 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #14 in LGBTQ+ Literary Criticism (Kindle Store)
- #54 in Lesbian Studies
- #125 in LGBTQ+ Literary Criticism (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.5 146 ratings

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Lillian Faderman

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Lillian Faderman is an internationally known scholar of lesbian history and literature, as well as ethnic history and literature. Among her many honors are six Lambda Literary Awards, two American Library Association Awards, and several lifetime achievement awards for scholarship. She is the author of The Gay Revolution, Surpassing the Love of Men, and Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers, all New York Times Notable Books. The Guardian named Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers one of the Top 10 Books of Radical History, and named The Gay Revolution one of the Six Top Books of LGBT Life.

photo by Donn R. Nottage

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5

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jen

We need this history now more than ever

Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2023

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We need this history now more than ever in a world that teaches lesbians to hate themselves. There has been nothing more damaging to the lesbian community than the transgender movement, may it please end soon. Why are there so many parents out there who are willing to sacrifice their daughter's bodies to create the illusion of heterosexuality?

If you are asking yourself, "am I in the right/wrong body?" what you ought to be asking yourself is, "why is society teaching me to hate myself because I don't conform to their brand of femininity?" Once, not so very long ago, this community had a vibrant butch subculture. These were our warriors; now they mostly call themselves 'they/them/he/him' and live in denial while the medical and psychiatric communities make millions off of them.

One day this community will wake up from the medical and psychiatric trauma that has been inflicted on them and they will discover this history and find their place in it.

Faderman's book will wake you up to the history that is slowly being eroded. Read it and know it before it is too late.

2 people found this helpful

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Idk What I'm Doing

I'm really enjoying this peek into lesbian history

Reviewed in the United States on January 19, 2019

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I'm learning so much about lesbian history in the US from this book! I would definitely recommend it.

The author seems unbiased and cautious when claiming that historical figures were gay. And unlike many scholars today, she avoids labeling lesbians from history (even gender-nonconforming ones) as trans men. She understands that to dress up as a man meant something different in a world that gave women very few options.

The one thing I disagree with her on is that she holds a culturally-based view of lesbianism, claiming that people are not necessarily "born gay". Even though I disagree, I understand where she's coming from, and it doesn't keep me from enjoying the book.

14 people found this helpful

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M.K.

Dated but Informative

Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2018

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I wanted to learn more about my history and lesbian culture and I definitely found it in this book. Though Faderman doesn't do very well with hiding her biases at the same time it wasn't too difficult to treat the book as a part of history and not a tell-all authority on it.
It's important to note that Faderman seems to purposefully leave out trans men and trans women from her histories, and some of her views on lesbian movements in the 70s and 80s (the times, I would think, that most effected her present while writing the book) are strikingly biased. But, none the less this book is now almost 28 years old which makes it more a part of history than an authority on it, and it's well worth the read - as long as you make an effort to read other histories and do your own research.

19 people found this helpful

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c.e.writespoems

Great compilation of lesbian/bisexual women's history

Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2015

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Although slightly outdated as it was published in the early 90s (very minor differences in some terminology) this book is a wonderful compilation of lesbian AND bisexual women's history in the United States. Not only was it a fun read (not totally dry, like some nonfiction) it had tons of primary texts cited. It really goes into depth on all of the combining factors that led to widespread homophobia in the United States too, as well as social dynamics in queer circles in the past. A very interesting read and the photos are a nice addition as well.

6 people found this helpful

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Cat Friends

I enjoyed reading this book

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2017

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I enjoyed reading this book. It gives a thorough history of queer women that was interesting to see how we got to current day events, how far we've come, and how history goes in waves. It is jammed packed with information.

4 people found this helpful

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Kindle Customer

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2017

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Informative, but intentionally erases trans men and women's experiences. Apparently the author writes for general LGBT things though nowadays.

7 people found this helpful

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Francois Tremblay

Review deleted

Reviewed in the United States on February 25, 2019

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I had to delete this review due to mistaken information. Since I have canceled the purchase, I cannot read it to give an accurate review.

One person found this helpful

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Sherry A

Good but dated

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2017

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For a lover of history this was a good read but as with any history of more modern times it needs an update. The last 25 years have brought many changes to the homosexual community.

One person found this helpful

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