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Lesbian and/or Feminist Literature and Writing

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Brown Eyes:
Heya!

This new thread is an off-shoot of the long-running thread here in Culture Tent dedicated to the books (and movie adaptations) by the wonderful Sarah Waters.  Here's a link to the thread dedicated to Waters: http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,16313.0.html

Milli and I thought it would be fun to have a second, more free-wheeling thread for recommendations and discussions about literature with lesbian or feminist themes by a wide range of authors.

To kick things off, I'll mention a book that Milli actually recommended to me not too long ago.  Both Milli and I have learned that we both tend to like lesbian novels that involve a historical perspective or a "period" setting. Sarah Waters, is of course, a major example of an author who writes historical lesbian fiction.  And, this one also certainly fits that category.

It's called Beyond the Pale by a woman with the amazing name of Elana Dykewomon.

<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/5996507-ea3.jpg" border="0" />

I've only read about 3/4 of it so far.  So, I'll wait to give my overall review until I finish.  But, so far, it's absolutely riveting. It's fascinating for the overall history and societies it describes as much as for the lesbian content. It's an amazingly well-written story about a topic that must have involved a lot of petty indept research.  I'm going to copy the book's back cover description here to provide a summary:

"Set in the early 20th century, Beyond the Pale follows the lives of Chava and Gutke, two women born in a Russian-Jewish settlement who ultimately immigrate to New York's Lower East Side.  This is an honest and passionate look into a specific past: a world of midwifery; Russian pogroms; the immigrant experience and the New York suffrage movement.  It is an enduring tale of triumph, love and courage over inhumanity.  But, at it's heart lies the most universal story of all: the devotion of one person to another."

And, here's what the back cover says about the author:

"Elana Dykewomon is the author of the bestselling novel Riverfinger Women, as well as Nothing Will Be As Sweet As the Taste and They Will Know Me By My Teeth.  She was an editor of Sinister Wisdom and now teaches at San Francisco State University.  Still an activist and cultural worker, she lives in Oakland, California."

Judging by how smart and complex Beyond the Pale is proving to be as I read it... it seems like it might be well worth looking into some of her other books.

Lumière:
Hey Amanda,

Thank you for starting this thread, Bud. :)


I am eager to read your review of Elana Dykewomon's amazing Beyond the Pale.

Here is another review from Amazon.com:

Amazon.com Review
Elana Dykewomon's Lambda Award-winning novel Beyond the Pale announces itself to the world with an infant's scream--"a new voice, a tiny shofar announcing its own first year." The midwife attending this birth is Gutke Gurvich, a half-Jew with different colored eyes and a gift for seeing into the spirit world. Beyond the Pale is Gutke's story, detailing her odyssey from a Russian shtetl to a comfortable Manhattan brownstone. But, as Dykewomon puts it, "Whenever you tell the story of one woman, inside is another," and this rich, multilayered novel is also the story of Chava Meyer, the baby girl Gutke delivered that day, as well as the story of the important women in both of their lives: mothers, sisters, neighbors, lovers, friends. After seeing her mother raped and killed during a particularly vicious progrom in her native village of Kishinev, Chava immigrates to America. There, on Manhattan's Lower East Side, both she and Gutke find themselves involved in the nascent labor union and suffrage movements. Dykewomon has clearly done her research here, and Beyond the Pale presents a beautifully detailed account of life among turn-of-the-century immigrant Jews, from classes at the Henry Street Settlement House to the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Through the lens of several lesbians' lives, Dykewomon draws a portrait of an entire Diasporan community living through the terror and uncertainties of both Russian progroms and life in the New World. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.


I am sure you already know what I think of this book - I loved it from the first page to the last; I laughed and I cried as I read it.  I enjoyed the journey she took me on as she described Chava and Gutke's lives and the people/events that shaped them.  Ms Dykewomon, not unlike other authoresses such as Sarah Waters and Emma Donoghue, has thoroughly mastered the skill of storytelling, IMO.

After reading Beyond the Pale, I went looking for some more of her work ...


She has an upcoming novel called Risk, set for release in April 2009.




From Amazon.com:
Risk is a beautifully told story that spans the years from the mid-eighties to the post-9/11 world. Carol is an idealistic, Berkeley-educated, Jewish lesbian living in Oakland, California. Downwardly mobile, the Berkeley grad makes her living by tutoring high school students. Through Carol’s life, Dykewomon explores the changing times and values in America.


I have recently acquired one of her very popular books published in the 70s - Riverfinger Women. 
I had to order it from a used books seller on Amazon but it was in great condition and surprisingly cheap. ;)





Publisher's Note -  Riverfinger Women:
Since Inez Riverfinger's arrival on the scene in 1974, women have hailed `Riverfinger Women" as an indispensable classic of lesbian life.

Recapture the exhilaration and pain of being young and lesbian in the anti-war '60's in this salty tour de force, this romp through a unique time of personal and sexual discovery.


I also just ordered another one of her novels (again, from a used books seller on Amazon), Moon Creek Road - a collection of short stories.




Amazon Product Description:
A collection of short stories that engages readers in not only the lesbian lifestyle, relationships, family issues, political concerns, but also the Jewishness of their lives. This is critical; we read to find our reflection, to validate our emotions, history, experiences and dreams. Moon Creek Road will do that for the Jewish women who read it and will engage other lesbians because of its depth, creativity, and emotional exploration of lesbian relationships.


Got a lot of wonderful reading ahead of me.
This thread will be an excellent spot for recommending great books and reviewing/discussing the ones we have read.   :)
Should be fun!


~M

Brown Eyes:
Hi Milli!
Thanks for all this info about her other works and forthcoming project!  Based on the quality of Beyond the Pale, I'll certainly look into her other writing down the road.

<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/6004655-ed6.jpg" border="0" />

I just changed the title of this thread to include the general term "writing", because tonight I'm feeling the urge to recommend a non-fiction book.  Milli, I know you've also enjoyed this book and have talked about it here and there on BetterMost.

The book by Lillian Faderman is called: To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done for America - A History

It's a remarkable look at the astounding number of really powerful women historically (the focus is mostly 19th and early 20th century) - in many fields from education to politics to social work, etc. - who were lesbians.  And, it examines why a lesbian identity might lead to a strong urge towards working for progressive change and even allowing for the life-circumstance (for instance not being encumbered by the constraints of a conventional 19th century marriage) and social networks to pursue public life and things like politics.  In a way, it's an amazing look at a "secret history"... which, once you think about it, seems really obvious or at least not surprising.

The cover photo shown here depicts Carrie Chapman Catt who was the president of NAWSA (the National American Woman Suffrage Association- the country's biggest and most historic suffrage association) at the time that the 19th Amendment finally passed in 1920.  The book talks about a huge range of suffragists.  And, it also talks about two major figures from my two alma maters.  Mary Woolley who was president of Mount Holyoke College in the early 20th century and M.Carey Thomas who was president of Bryn Mawr College from the late 19th c. into the early 20th c.... both of whom were pretty open lesbians.  Thomas lived very openly with a woman named Mary Garrett, who was also a Dean at Bryn Mawr.  The relationship between Thomas and Garrett is very openly acknowledged still to this day at Bryn Mawr... major portraits of both of them grace various buildings, etc.  Garrett was also a major benefactor for Bryn Mawr (she came from a very wealthy family).  The book also talks about well-known figures such as Jane Addams.  Anyway, it's really fascinating reading.

Here's the blurb from the back of the book:

"This landmark work of lesbian history focuses on how certain late-nineteenth century and twentieth-century women whose lives can be described as lesbian were in the forefront of the battle to secure the rights and privileges that large numbers of Americans enjoy today.  Lillian Faderman persuasively argues that their lesbianism may in fact have facilitated their accomplishments.  A book of imeccable research and compelling reading, To Believe in Women will be a source of enlightenment for all, and for many a singular source of pride."

And here's the blurb about the famous Lillian Faderman:

"Lillian Faderman is a much-honored pioneer in lesbian studies. Her books inlcude Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers and Surpassing the Love of Men.  She teaches at California State University at Fresno."

Lumière:

--- Quote from: atz75 on December 04, 2008, 11:51:37 pm ---Hi Milli!
Thanks for all this info about her other works and forthcoming project!  Based on the quality of Beyond the Pale, I'll certainly look into her other writing down the road.

<img src="http://www.divshare.com/img/6004655-ed6.jpg" border="0" />


--- End quote ---

Another intriguing read, Amanda... and you have summarised it beautifully.

I started a "To Believe in Women" series of posts in the "Strong. gorgeous women" thread to highlight the names and faces of some of the women Lillian Faderman discusses in this inspirational book.  She exposes little bits of history that have fallen through the cracks.  She gives us a closer look into the lives of some of the famous, influential women we have often heard about and didn't fully know ... what they accomplished, how and why..
I love this book.


--- Quote ---"Lillian Faderman is a much-honored pioneer in lesbian studies. Her books inlcude Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers  and Surpassing the Love of Men.  She teaches at California State University at Fresno."
--- End quote ---

" Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers " is another book I am eager to read.  I bought it weeks ago but didn't start on it yet.

Lumière:
Here is another novel on my To-Read-List:


Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
by Jeanette Winterson




From Amazon.co.uk
Jeanette, the protagonist of Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit and the author's namesake, has issues--"unnatural" ones: her adopted mam thinks she's the Chosen one from God; she's beginning to fancy girls; and an orange demon keeps popping into her psyche. Already Jeanette Winterson's semi-autobiographical first novel is not your typical coming-of-age tale.

Brought up in a working-class Pentecostal family, up North, Jeanette follows the path her Mam has set for her. This involves Bible quizzes, a stint as a tambourine-playing Sally Army officer and a future as a missionary in Africa, or some other "heathen state". When Jeanette starts going to school ("The Breeding Ground") and confides in her mother about her feelings for another girl ("Unnatural Passions"), she's swept up in a feverish frenzy for her tainted soul. Confused, angry and alone, Jeanette strikes out on her own path, that involves a funeral parlour and an ice-cream van. Mixed in with the so-called reality of Jeanette's existence growing up are unconventional fairy tales that transcend the everyday world, subverting the traditional preconceptions of the damsel in distress.

In Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Winterson knits a complicated picture of teenage angst through a series of layered narratives, incorporating and subverting fairytales and myths, to present a coherent whole, within which her stories can stand independently. Imaginative and mischievous, she is a born storyteller, teasing and taunting the reader to reconsider their worldview. --Nicola Perry

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