foxo_cube's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.0
This book was alright, I suppose, but it was trying too hard to be funny and it's a bit obnoxious.
The cover is 10/10 and I think the people and topics that Loehr discusses are important - I'm definitely going to put some of the bibliography on my to-read list - but it's hard to take it seriously. It's not like history (or non-fiction in general) has to be written in a really dry or academic way, don't get me wrong, but it's just a bit... well, too much for me. The most bizarre "funny quip" was "Oh, the older relative! We've all been there. For me, it was a sexy great-aunt." Have we? Have we really all been there? Ending the book with "Right, I need to get laid." was also certainly a decision. Maybe I'm too asexual to understand and this is on me.
It's not a bad overview of the history of wlw, I don't think, and it's good to see something written about the people who are notoriously straight-washed or just ignored. There is a glaring lack of mention of trans lesbians, and a couple of people are included who it seems might not have been too fond of being included in the category of "women". Some acknowledgement of genderqueer, women-adjacent people is there, but generally only those who were AFAB. I don't believe the author is transphobic per se, but there's occasional hints of transphobic bias, if that makes any sense. The book does acknowledge that the terminology we have now is kind of hard to apply retrospectively to people who didn't have the same language with which to self-identify, which is very true, so I'll give it that. Still, I would have thought more gender theory-based stuff would be included in a book about queer women, you know?
I don't feel like this book was a waste of my time, but I don't know how highly I'd recommend it, either. There's some really fascinating pieces of history between the cringe, but I guess your mileage may vary!
The cover is 10/10 and I think the people and topics that Loehr discusses are important - I'm definitely going to put some of the bibliography on my to-read list - but it's hard to take it seriously. It's not like history (or non-fiction in general) has to be written in a really dry or academic way, don't get me wrong, but it's just a bit... well, too much for me. The most bizarre "funny quip" was "Oh, the older relative! We've all been there. For me, it was a sexy great-aunt." Have we? Have we really all been there? Ending the book with "Right, I need to get laid." was also certainly a decision. Maybe I'm too asexual to understand and this is on me.
It's not a bad overview of the history of wlw, I don't think, and it's good to see something written about the people who are notoriously straight-washed or just ignored. There is a glaring lack of mention of trans lesbians, and a couple of people are included who it seems might not have been too fond of being included in the category of "women". Some acknowledgement of genderqueer, women-adjacent people is there, but generally only those who were AFAB. I don't believe the author is transphobic per se, but there's occasional hints of transphobic bias, if that makes any sense. The book does acknowledge that the terminology we have now is kind of hard to apply retrospectively to people who didn't have the same language with which to self-identify, which is very true, so I'll give it that. Still, I would have thought more gender theory-based stuff would be included in a book about queer women, you know?
I don't feel like this book was a waste of my time, but I don't know how highly I'd recommend it, either. There's some really fascinating pieces of history between the cringe, but I guess your mileage may vary!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
andreapap15's review against another edition
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
2.25
a good starting point for people who want to know more about historical lesbians, but the tone and humour of the author didn't always land
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia and Lesbophobia
mimithorp's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Fast to read, enjoyable and humourous, but it's frustrating that no sources are provided during the actual body of the text (there are some notes on sources at the end) and while the witty sarcastic feel helps the pace, it is still used in some more serious moments which feels a little distasteful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Racism, and Lesbophobia
bronzeageholly's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Sexual content, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Infidelity, Biphobia, Death, Racism, Transphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Misogyny
maiahhtratchh's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
2.25
honestly this book and the storytelling was not for me. I know it is a short history but the writing seemed superficial and speculative. There were sources listed at the back, honestly my favourite part, but supplementing them throughout the reading would have been so much better. It would have possibly taken away the speculative aspect or at least diminishing it. Everything post-WW2 was told better or more sensitively (although that may do to us having more sources and less room to speculate). My biggest issue was the insensitivity with which some of the people were treated, specifically within the WW2 era. Lots of the women were characterized and sometimes even referred to as characters. It just really put me off.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Lesbophobia, and Transphobia
jamesflint's review against another edition
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Transphobia
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