Book picks similar to
Out of This World: A Fictionalized True-Life Adventure by Sonia Johnson
queer
lesbian-feminism
lesbian-fiction
lesbian-separatism
White Houses
Amy Bloom - 2018
Having grown up worse than poor in South Dakota and reinvented herself as the most prominent woman reporter in America, "Hick," as she's known to her friends and admirers, is not quite instantly charmed by the idealistic, patrician Eleanor. But then, as her connection with the future first lady deepens into intimacy, what begins as a powerful passion matures into a lasting love, and a life that Hick never expected to have.She moves into the White House, where her status as "first friend" is an open secret, as are FDR's own lovers. After she takes a job in the Roosevelt administration, promoting and protecting both Roosevelts, she comes to know Franklin not only as a great president but as a complicated rival and an irresistible friend, capable of changing lives even after his death. Through it all, even as Hick's bond with Eleanor is tested by forces both extraordinary and common, and as she grows as a woman and a writer, she never loses sight of the love of her life.From Washington, D.C. to Hyde Park, from a little white house on Long Island to an apartment on Manhattan's Washington Square, Amy Bloom's new novel moves elegantly through fascinating places and times, written in compelling prose and with emotional depth, wit, and acuity.
Shadow of the Knife
Jane Fletcher - 2008
The most vicious gang in the Homelands, led by the infamous Butcher, is extending its operations to Roadsend. By her oath as a member of the Militia, Ellen is sworn to uphold the rule of law, no matter what the cost to herself. But as the body count starts to rise, Ellen finds her task made all the harder by a wall of silence from ordinary citizens, a commanding officer with her head in the sand, and the attentions of an attractive young farmer who is probably not who she claims to be.Ellen must work out who to trust, because if she gets it wrong she might easily lose her heart, or her life.
Two Serious Ladies
Jane Bowles - 1943
Copperfield at a party. Two serious ladies who want to live outside of themselves, they go in search of salvation: Mrs. Copperfield visits Panama with her husband, where she finds solace among the women who live and work in its brothels; while Miss Goering becomes involved with various men. At the end the two women meet again, each changed by her experience. Mysterious, profound, anarchic and very funny, 'Two Serious Ladies' is a daring, original work that defies analysis.
Desperate Measures
P.J. Trebelhorn - 2014
After assaulting him, she’s suspended from her job. She uses her unexpected time off to make some home improvements, but Kay has no idea Rayne is stalking her, and he’s hell-bent on revenge. Brenda Jansen owns Jansen Construction with her father. A routine job brings her to Kay’s doorstep, and Brenda is blissfully unaware of the twists and turns her life is about to take. The instant attraction she feels toward her newest client is something Brenda’s doing her best to ignore. Since her two previous girlfriends cheated on her, she’s having a hard time putting her trust in anyone. Brenda’s indifference toward her intrigues Kay, who does everything she can to get Brenda to admit their attraction is mutual. As they grow closer, so does Tommy Rayne, until he finally threatens everything Kay holds dear.
Female Masculinity
J. Jack Halberstam - 1998
In Female Masculinity Jack Halberstam takes aim at the protected status of male masculinity and shows that female masculinity has offered a distinct alternative to it for well over two hundred years. Providing the first full-length study on this subject, Halberstam catalogs the diversity of gender expressions among masculine women from nineteenth-century pre-lesbian practices to contemporary drag king performances.Through detailed textual readings as well as empirical research, Halberstam uncovers a hidden history of female masculinities while arguing for a more nuanced understanding of gender categories that would incorporate rather than pathologize them. He rereads Anne Lister's diaries and Radclyffe Hall's The Well of Loneliness as foundational assertions of female masculine identity. He considers the enigma of the stone butch and the politics surrounding butch/femme roles within lesbian communities. He also explores issues of transsexuality among "transgender dykes"---lesbians who pass as men---and female-to-male transsexuals who may find the label of "lesbian" a temporary refuge. Halberstam also tackles such topics as women and boxing, butches in Hollywood and independent cinema, and the phenomenon of male impersonators.Female Masculinity signals a new understanding of masculine behaviors and identities, and a new direction in interdisciplinary queer scholarship. Illustrated with nearly forty photographs, including portraits, film stills, and drag king performance shots, this book provides an extensive record of the wide range of female masculinities. And as Halberstam clearly demonstrates, female masculinity is not some bad imitation of virility, but a lively and dramatic staging of hybrid and minority genders.
Money for Something: Sex Work. Drugs. Life. Need.
Mia Walsch - 2020
Look where we are. What else do we have to hide?'When nineteen-year-old Mia is fired from her job at an insurance company, she answers an ad in the newspaper. The ad says: 'Erotic Massage. Good Money. No Sex.'Mia takes to her new job with recklessness, aplomb and good humour. Over the next few years, as she works her way through Sydney's many parlours, she meets exquisite and complex women from every walk of life who choose sex work for myriad reasons. While juggling the demands of her new job, she battles her problematic drug use, and the mental illness that has shaped her life.But rather than needing saving from sex work, it is the work that sometimes helps to save Mia from herself.A raw and honest memoir about surviving, sex work, friendships, drugs and mental illness.
Second Chances
M.E. Tudor - 2014
It was her eyes. She had the same eyes of a woman Pam had been in love with in college. As Pam gets to know Dorothy she finds out that Dorothy is, in fact, the mother of Casey Durham, the woman Pam had been in love with. Dorothy is also in an abusive relationship with Casey's father, Bob. Pam works for an organization that specializes in getting women like Dorothy out of their abusive relationships and on with their lives. Pam promises to help Dorothy in anyway she can, so when Dorothy calls and asks Pam to come get her after a particularly brutal beating by her husband. Pam rushes to Dorothy's rescue.Pam realizes that by placing Dorothy under her protection, she will be forced to face Casey again. She knows it is not going to be a good meeting because she hurt Casey badly when they were in college. Hopefully, Casey will give her a chance to explain what she was going through at the time. Maybe, Casey will forgive her for all the pain Pam caused her.Casey Durham is retiring from professional basketball after five injury filled years. She is moving back to Nashville to start her residency as an orthopedic surgeon at her alma mater, Vanderbilt University. She is looking forward to being back in Nashville, but she is hoping to avoid Pam Benton Matterson. She had been completely in love with Pam in college, and had even given up her wild ways with women for Pam. But Pam had not given Casey a chance to prove how much she loved her and it had broken Casey's heart into little pieces. Dorothy seemingly disappears sending Casey and her brothers into a panic. They are terrified that their father has done something to her. After seeing a report on the news about her disappearance, Dorothy calls the kids to assure them she is okay.Casey wants to see her mother before she has to return to Memphis, where she had been playing basketball, to get the rest of her stuff. Dorothy's legal advisor, Pam makes arrangements for Casey to meet Dorothy at her office. When Casey arrives at Pam's office and is introduced to Pam by her mother, the temperature drops in the room from the cold stare Casey gives Pam. Even Dorothy notices the difference in the demeanor of the two women.Casey can't believe Pam is her mother's legal advisor. Pam prays Casey will not take her off Dorothy's case. Will the two of them be able to put the past behind them and do what's best for Dorothy? Will Casey listen to Pam's story about the past and forgive her? Is there still any love for Pam left in Casey's heart? Read this story to find out what happens when Casey finds out that things weren't always as they appeared.