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A review by lunaseassecondaccount
Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America by Lillian Faderman
3.0
I actually feel this book is closer to four stars, but after reading a few reviews on here and sitting with some of my own discomfort regarding word choices and phrasing, I'm keeping it at three stars.
This is a very thorough and easy-to-read history of, well, lesbian life in twentieth-century America. The first half of the book, which details very late nineteenth/early twentieth century women, romantic friendships and the start of women's higher education leading to liberation was fantastic- a theme that continued up until Faderman's writing on McCarthyism and the 1950s. The concept of Boston marriages and romantic friendships is something that's been close to my heart most of my adult life and an ideology that, well, enchants me.
But once the history reached the 1970s and the concept of lesbian feminists and 'political lesbians' came about, I began to be turned off. From what Faderman wrote (and I'm not sure if this is her own belief or what actually occurred during this decade), but the idea of women 'choosing' to become lesbian is something that makes me grit my teeth. The idea that homosexuality is something someone decides to practice and not an innate part of the biological makeup bothers me. It also reeks a little of radfem ideology and verges into TERF territory, which I'm not thrilled about. I've read some discussions about fourth wave feminism being repackaged second wave feminism, and after reading these chapters, I'm inclined to agree.
Faderman also describes in the first half of the book about women who dressed as men to both find work and to go about their life easier, but also as a way of exploring their lesbian identity. I'm willing to chalk this up to a difference in language, given how language and gender identity has evolved over the past thirty years (and this is also addressed in the epilogue), but also... a good number of these folk could be trans. I'm not sure if Faderman has addressed this recently, but I'd be curious to read her thoughts.
Overall, I think this is a very valuable historical text and one that really does cover a lot of history. It's thoroughly researched and while I'd have liked a few more primary sources, I can't say I'm disappointed.
This is a very thorough and easy-to-read history of, well, lesbian life in twentieth-century America. The first half of the book, which details very late nineteenth/early twentieth century women, romantic friendships and the start of women's higher education leading to liberation was fantastic- a theme that continued up until Faderman's writing on McCarthyism and the 1950s. The concept of Boston marriages and romantic friendships is something that's been close to my heart most of my adult life and an ideology that, well, enchants me.
But once the history reached the 1970s and the concept of lesbian feminists and 'political lesbians' came about, I began to be turned off. From what Faderman wrote (and I'm not sure if this is her own belief or what actually occurred during this decade), but the idea of women 'choosing' to become lesbian is something that makes me grit my teeth. The idea that homosexuality is something someone decides to practice and not an innate part of the biological makeup bothers me. It also reeks a little of radfem ideology and verges into TERF territory, which I'm not thrilled about. I've read some discussions about fourth wave feminism being repackaged second wave feminism, and after reading these chapters, I'm inclined to agree.
Faderman also describes in the first half of the book about women who dressed as men to both find work and to go about their life easier, but also as a way of exploring their lesbian identity. I'm willing to chalk this up to a difference in language, given how language and gender identity has evolved over the past thirty years (and this is also addressed in the epilogue), but also... a good number of these folk could be trans. I'm not sure if Faderman has addressed this recently, but I'd be curious to read her thoughts.
Overall, I think this is a very valuable historical text and one that really does cover a lot of history. It's thoroughly researched and while I'd have liked a few more primary sources, I can't say I'm disappointed.