Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America
Columbia University Press, 1991
Agent: Sandra Dijkstra
Lesbianism in American continues to undergo a metamorphosis, a shape shifting. According to Lillian Faderman, there are "no constants with regard to lesbianism," except that lesbians prefer women.
In Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers Faderman tells the compelling story of lesbian life in the twentieth century. The book traces the evolution of lesbian identity and subcultures from the early years of the century, when career opportunities first enabled women to support themselves and spend their lives in "romantic friendships" with other women, to the diversity of today's life styles. Faderman uses journals, unpublished manuscripts, songs, news accounts, novels, medical literature, and numerous personal interviews with lesbians of all races, ages, and classes, to uncover and relate this often surprising narrative of lesbian life in America.
Accolades:
Named one of the "Top 10 Books of Radical History" by The Guardian
Reviews:
“Reverberates with the powerful voices of people speaking for themselves…a moving narrative.”
—Village Voice
“A remarkable social history.”
—Washington Post Book World
“Compelling…. Poignant and moving, full of facts and wonderful details that readers may not have encountered, things that are a pleasure to learn and seem important to know.”
—Los Angeles Times Book Review