Reviews (31)

More Of The Same
Not a bad book, but not a great one, either.The story of yet another middle aged, married person with a history of transvestism who decides to undergo sex reassignment.
A very honest and courageous portrayal
Donna Rose is a very attractive, feminine woman. I highly recommend "Wrapped in Blue: A Journal of Discovery," as Donna gradually becomes aware that although apparently born as a boy, there was a strong feminine side to his personality, which did not completely go away even during years as a successful athlete, an intially happy marriage and the birth of a son.
great book - lots to think about
This isn't written nearly as well as "She's not there" however it is a very telling story.A very "normal" story of a trasformation. The focus on how relationships were altered forever is a sobering reality and a pretty realistic picture I would expect. I enjoyed this book very much. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. General    4. Social Science    5. Social Science / Gender Studies    6. Sociology    7. Specific Groups - General    8. Biography & Autobiography    9. Biography & Autobiography / General    10. Gender Studies    11. Gender identity    12. Personal Memoirs    13. Sex change    14. Transsexualism    15. Transsexuals   

Features

• Bargain Price

Reviews (15)

The Lives within Lives of Anthony Blunt.
Miranda Carter has written a splendid book about Anthony Blunt, appropriately subtitled, "his lives." Reading aboutthe Cambridge Fellow, Soldier, Double Agent, Art-Historian, Director of the Cortauld Institute, Surveyor of the King's/Queens Pictures, etc., etc., is like peeling an onion, or perhaps--more appropriately--opening a Russian Matrioshka doll. As one probes into a deeper layer one discovers yet another persona, and although one might begin to understand Blunt's motives, one never really gets to know who he really was, thanks to his ability to compartmentalize his multifarious activities and interests.
Utterly Fascinating
Anthony Blunt was a child of the British Establishment, born to a middle class family with Church of England and royal connections.He received a fine education at Marlborough and Cambridge and became one of the most acclaimed art historians and teachers in Britain in the twentieth century.At the same time, he was a spy for the Soviets.The story of how Blunt became a communist, worked against his country while supposedly serving it in MI5 during World War II, then became a courtier for two monarchs and the highly regarded head of the Courtald Institute, which he made into one of the finest art schools in the country, is fascinating. Why did the author knock author John Costello?
Carter wins on giving us numerous minutia about Blount's life and his odd selection of friends. But her book was not of great interest to a reader who was aware of Blount's peculiar nature and interest in art. It is difficult to understand how Blount or his friends, seemed completly oblivious of politics as Carter has laid out. Unless she is making the case that Blount was the perfect mole - at all times on guard against exposure. But I don't think she is trying to make that case.Carter gives us a blur of names, quotes, and a failure to find mention of expected comments in corresspondence such as the passing of Blount's father. It may be Carter's intention to show Blount's world as an extremely focused life which was hardly influenced by outside events; such as the end of World War One and the rise of Communism. I suspect Carter is trying to explain Blount as a Good Boy Who Does Bad Things. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1907-1983    2. 1907-1983    3. Great Britain    4. History    5. 20th century    6. Biography / Autobiography    7. Historical - General    8. Historical - British    9. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    10. Political    11. Biography & Autobiography    12. Bargain    13. Great Britain   

Reviews (3)

Unusually insightful and fresh for such a long-running show
Even as a white middle class hetero, I enjoy following on an ocassional basis the progress of Ms. Bechdel's cast of characters. It's rare to find a cartoonist who has so sucessfully kept a shtick going so long without becoming hopelessly stale (although perhaps it's a bit easier for a self-consciously running commentary on society and politics wherre the material is a little more dynamic than, say, the antics of Dennis the Menace or Little Jeffrey)....

You Must Have It
Bechdel's prose here is as smart and funny as readers of the regular stripwould expect.It starts as a memoir as she describes her beginnings andprogression as a cartoonist, and includes lots of early drawings andstrips.The bulk of the book is made up of stuff never seen in the DTWOFvolumes: strips from her calendars, strips made for other magazines orspecial occasions, and autobiographical work.It's great stuff, alwaysfunny, and everyone with a sense of humor should buy it right away.

Ever wished you could meet the author of DTWOF?
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Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Comics & Cartoons    3. Form - Cartoons & Comics    4. Humor    5. Lesbian Studies    6. Specific Groups - Lesbians    7. Cartoons & comic strips   

Reviews (35)

wise, darkly romantic memoir
I read this book in one sitting and really admire the author for what she has given her readers.An honest, intimate look at her own life and how she finally broke free from her cyclical, painful relationships, particularly to one significant woman named Annie. Written in a mystical, stream-of-conscious style, the beauty of Todd's writing is lyrical and poetic.She drew me into her contemplative and emotional world.As writer, teacher, actress, and painter, Todd has a great deal of wisdom and artistic insights, and I found myself underlining several passages and stopping to reflect on many of her philosophies:
Beautiful and Honest - read it 4 times so far

Trisha touched my heart with her honesty
It's hard to get a copy of Trisha's "drive" when you live in Holland like me. When I finally did, I jumped in the passenger seat and couldn't stop reading. I feel connected. Her honesty moves me. Reading her thoughts, experiences and feelings helps me to stay on my track. Thank you Trisha. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Autobiographical fiction    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Interpersonal relations    5. Lesbian    6. Lesbians    7. Popular American Fiction    8. American English    9. Biography: general    10. Lesbian studies    11. Modern fiction   

Reviews (15)

Exactly as Advertised
This book is exactly what the title says, a collection of short stories about first time lesbian experiences. The stories are written by women, usually in the first person, and are filled with flowery imagery. This title takes a deep look, mostly through repetition, at the sensual and emotional sides of lesbianism.
Depends on what you want it for...
I found this collection to be standard. Like most erotica, this compilation has a few shining stars as well as a few stinkers, with most everything else falling in the middle. Great stuff in here.
Whether you're a woman and are "bi curious" or you're a guy--there's no need to explain why men would like this book--Awakening the Virgin is a mind blowing and satisfying read about women and women. I've only read one other book that comes close to this one, "The Other Woman" by Kim Corum. I hope to find more becuase these stories are HOT. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Erotica - General    2. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    3. Lesbian Studies    4. Lesbianism    5. Lesbians    6. Love / Sex / Marriage    7. Seduction    8. Sexual behavior    9. Social Science    10. Women    11. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Reviews (6)

Fabulous!
"Skin" is a book of essays by the amazingly talented writer and activist, Dorothy Allison. I remember reading [...] Out of Carolina many years ago and thinking I might not get through it because of its gruesome and hideous portrayal of a poverty-stricken, incestuous family living in the South. Turns out that book was Allison's fictionalized account of her childhood. Skin, however, is a finely crafted series of essays with titles ranging from "Gun Crazy" to "The Theory and Practice of the Strap-on Dildo" to "Believing in Literature". She likes to talk about everything people aren't supposed to talk about, including masturbating to science fiction novels, the pain of catching a venereal disease from her stepfather when she was a child (a disease that went untreated, rendering her sterile), the thrill of S & M, butch/femme strap-on sex, and much more just as juicy. Allison's style is fearlessly intimate and unashamed. Her long struggle to escape poverty and find a voice is evident in every page, and in every page her voice is beautiful, loud, and resiliant.

Essays on class, racism, sexuality, and literature
The extraordinary Dorothy Allison can write fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and essays. Skin is her contribution to the essay genre, a collection of two dozen bits of astute rambling across a crazy quilt of subjects stitched together by the fierce honesty her readers have come to expect from all of her writing. Coming from a poor white trash family in South Carolina, she traveled beyond her origins thanks to a rampant intelligence that nothing could dull. A feminist before the word was invented, Allison is also a proud card-carrying lesbian, a writer, mentor, teacher, lecturer, and a woman who is always generous to other writers. Skin deals more explicitly and in greater depth with erotica and sexuality than her other works, so readers would do well to be forewarned. But if you're a Dorothy Allison fan, this is NOT a book to be missed.

A book about SEX!
An opportunity to get thinking about a few "difficult" subjects, while enjoying a few refreshing lines of thought as well as a no-nonense yet witty style.Being a woman, gay or poor not a requisite, although itmight help. If you're neither of the three, buy the book anyway, you mightlearn something (I did). ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Allison, Dorothy    3. Authors, American    4. Biography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Essays    7. Feminist    8. Feminists    9. General    10. Lesbians    11. Literary Collections    12. Literature: Classics    13. Sexuality In Literature    14. Southern States    15. Specific Groups - Lesbians    16. United States    17. Women As Authors (American Literature)    18. Cosmetics, make-up & skin care    19. English    20. USA   

Reviews (19)

Nothing to lose if you don't read this book
As the author is presented as an enlightened person, I wanted to know what is written in the book. I found nothing remarkable about its contents. I read it because I could not give up the hope to find atleast one unique perspective from an enlightened person's writing, and also because I spent money to buy the book.
a wonderful surprise...
This book is written by a remarkable woman who is handicap, a recovered addict and a lesbian. Already you are into this or turned off. The interesting thing is that the author's "handicaps" are not the important aspect of this book at all. As a reader, one forgets all about joan as a person because it is so easy to identify one's self with her. Through her journal like writing, the reader gets to experience her awakenings with her and it is a great experience. I would reccomend it to anyone.

a window into the author's process
This book is a very intimate look at the author's process. Here she is, suffering like the rest of us, living on an emotional roller coaster, compelled by habitual behaviours, confused, and at the same time engaged in her practice.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1948-    2. Biography    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Lesbians    5. Meditations    6. Religion    7. Specific Groups - Lesbians    8. Spiritual biography    9. Spirituality - Women's    10. Tollifson, Joan,    11. United States    12. Women with disabilities    13. Self-Help / Meditations    14. Tollifson, Joan   

Editorial Review

"Childhood's work is to see what lies beneath," Mark Doty writes in his memoir, Read more

Reviews (11)

A Mysterious, Beautiful Memoir
I read (and met) Mark Doty while I was in college. On the grass at Sarah Lawrence, I memorized his sad, beautiful poetry and read and re-read his book, Heaven's Coast, chronicling his life with his partner dying from AIDS. So, I was very excited when Firebird was chosen by my book club. Again, I found myself amazed and delighted by Mark Doty's use of imagery, but I was also disappointed as the book leapt from experience to experience without explanation. Maybe this is why I never felt "inside" his character, and at the end, was left feeling as though the chapters were more like poems, mysterious pieces of his life that were without resolution. Mark Doty is a man of great accomplishment, a poet of unquestionable talent, but after this book, he's still a mystery to me.

Evolution of a poet
It's not always a pretty story, but it's always intellectually and emotionally moving. Mark Doty is one of America's finest writers of poetry and prose. That such a mind should have triumphed over his stressful growing up years is remarkable. His background would have landed many other kids in a foster home. Firebird is a coming-of-age memoir of a pre-gay geeky kid with a deranged and alcoholic mother, a passive/conflicted father, and a sister whose middle name is Trouble. Unfathomable memoir for ssuch a Poet of beauty
Mark Doty is one of the finest poets of our time, writing eloquent, informed poems, essays, books, and musings about life and art.To read FIREBIRD: A MEMOIR almost breaches credibility, so stressful and trying was his childhood and youth.But perhaps, and probably, this is why he is able to write with such sensitivity today.FIREBIRD relates the coming of age of a chubby, nerdy, alienated, pre-gay, geeky kid who finds little solace in his family (a deeply disturbed alcoholic mother, a passive ne'er-do-well military type father, a sister headed for incarceration) yet manages to capture moments from this distorted childhood, like expressive dancing to Stravinsky's 'Firebird' and learning to paint from his mother, to head him toward the sucessful communicator he is today.Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Childhood Memoir    7. Family    8. Family relationships    9. General    10. Memphis    11. Poets, American    12. Specific Groups - Male Gay Studies    13. Tennessee    14. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Editorial Review

In 1973 Andrew Tobias published Read more

Reviews (28)

I have to agree with most reviewers
I'm not going to reiterate the negative reviews here, mostly because they're right on the mark.This book is boring, unnecessary, grandiose, and lacking in any editorial judgement.I read his first book many years ago, enjoyed it, and thought that its follow-up would be equally entertaining.Boy was I wrong.I bought it back in '98, tried to read it, and gave up.I recently moved and found the book in a box.I thought I'd give it another try, and it was just as insipid as it was eight years ago.If you want a good memoir, go elsewhere.

tedious bore
pretty much useless.for much better memoirs, i would say go look at paul monette, edmund white, or augusten burroughs, all of which are way superior to this narcissistic and charmless writer whose name i won't even bother mentioning.waste of bucks.

What's with all the cynicism here?
I've just read this wonderful book and cannot understand how some of the other reviewers here can call Mr. Tobias self-absorbed. I saw him as merely human and in fact found that he was often self-deprecating--and also it is a book about HIM, so what did the other readers here expect him to write about, his mother? Make no mistake, Andrew Tobias is not a saint, and neither is any of us. His writing reflects his very human experience.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography & Autobiography    3. Gay Studies    4. Gay men    5. Gay/Lesbian Nonfiction    6. General    7. Homosexuality    8. Tobias, Andrew P    9. United States    10. Biography & Autobiography / General    11. Biography: general    12. Gay studies (Gay men)   

Editorial Review

When Randy Shilts's Read more

Features

• Illustrated

Reviews (9)

"If a bullet should enter my brain..."
Randy Shilts's intricately researched biography of one of the greatest gay activists of all time, Harvey Milk, is not only a political biography, but a chronology of an entire political movement. One of the best-written bios I've ever read
I read a lot of biographies and, while I love the genre, I'm often disappointed with the writing.This book, by the late Randy Shilts, is an exception.Shilts was a great writer, able to take a variety of facts and put them into readable passages (his "And the Band Played On" is another good example of this).Harvey Milk and the San Francisco of the 1970s come to life in this book.The tragedy of Milk's assassination and its aftermath are rendered in gripping detail.

impassioned and exhaustive
Randy Shilts has taken great pains to present the man honestly, exploring his political and personal lives.The result is an illimunitating portrait of the Gay Rights champion, documenting his triumphs and ideals alongside his personal ambiguities and foibles.Milk's rise to power, as well as the city's rich gay history, are depicted with candor and clarity.Read more

Subjects:  1. Artists, Architects, Photographers    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. California    7. Gay Studies    8. Gay liberation movement    9. General    10. Milk, Harvey    11. Politicians    12. San Francisco    13. San Francisco (Calif.)    14. Modern fiction   

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Drama    3. Gay Studies    4. General    5. Plays    6. Biography: general    7. Drama / General    8. Theatre, drama   

Reviews (35)

poorly written book; waste of time
I was interested in Andrew Cunanan, objectively and with no judgement to how he was percieved on tv. I was hoping that this book would give some factual insight into what initiated the "3 month fever", but found this book terribly difficult to read. Not just that, most of the book has "conversions" between dead killer and dead victim, written in italics, as if that is what transpired between them - like the author actually interviewed them or something. Where the hell did he get these "conversations" that clearly could NOT be true, almost insisting that is what truly occured. MOST of the book is written this way - some fantasy conversation the author thought to himself perhaps?
Three Month Fever - a keeper
An odd, book, best termed fantasy based heavily on research. For the love of fame...
Who could not remember the bizaare tell of the great homosexual flirt of South Miami's slaying of a fashion icon?It's so bizaare, so unreal, it reeks of Coen brothers.As they say - only in America.Read more

Subjects:  1. American    2. Biography    3. Crimes against    4. Current Affairs    5. Gay men    6. Government - U.S. Government    7. Murder    8. Murder - General    9. Nonfiction - True Crime / Espionage    10. Serial murderers    11. Serial murders    12. True Crime    13. True Crime / Espionage    14. United States   

Editorial Review

William Murray, a staff writer at Read more

Reviews (8)

This book only tells part of the story!
I first got this book because I was curious about it from the obituary.I read it today in it's entirety.I think the author does deserve a superb job in allowing us to understand each of the real people with flaws and talents.I was led to believe that Natalia and Janet were always together but as I read.They were separated and torn apart for other reasons.Natalia never really comes out to acknowledge her sexual orientation.Bill never doubts his own.He reveals a lot about himself like losing his virginity to a prostitute.Bill's childhood was not entirely spent at home but at boarding schools in New England.I think Janet served as a father figure.When she was 83 years old, she had to retire to New York and live the last 3 years with Natalia.Why she kept coming and going to and from is puzzling to me?Janet was a complicated woman and these two women truly loved each other.Maybe the separations allowed them to love each other more apart.Will never really know?We weren't truly there ourselves.Bill allows us to see his childhood was normal.I was surprised that his mother would worry about his sexual orientation.I wondered what would have happened if he turned out gay himself.Would she blame herself? Who knows? I read about Alice, his second wife.I don't think Natalia understood their relationship.Now that all 3 members of that unique family is gone, I think Alice deserves some mention. Bill wasn't the best husband or father.They did live together for 5 years before their marriage.I say give Alice a break.They were together for 30 years.At the end of Natalia's life, she was unbearable probably because she was ill physically and medication often can contribute to a person's mental state.Bill and Alice stayed together for 30 years.I admire Alice and his first wife Doris who managed to deal with an overbearing mother-in-law.I also think Natalia had trouble letting go of Bill all his life and that's why there is so much trouble.Since Bill is gone, my condolences to Alice, Doris, Natalia, Julia, and Bill III over your more recent loss.
Fascinating Memoir
I admit that my knowledge of Janet Flanner was hazy when I bought this book, my exposure to the "New Yorker" limited to a few issues per year only in the last ten years. That wasn't the selling point for me -- I had read good reviews that this was the memoir of a boy raised in a non-traditional home in the 1940s and that detail fascinated me. Phenomenal book
When I look back on the many books I've read over the past year (easily 50 or more), I can say emphatically that this was one of the best and most memorable.I can remember where I sat (by a fountain) when I began the book, and where I was (at a garden) when I closed its cover for the final time.Murray captured the essence of a very complex, yet loving relationship between two sophisticated, intelligent women.After I finished his book, I yearned to learn more about them, and read a biography of Flanner, Murray's mother's book of correspondence between herself and Flanner, and several of Flanner's New Yorker compilations.A heartfelt thanks, William Murray. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. Authors, American    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Gay Studies    8. General    9. Homosexuality    10. Lesbians    11. Literary    12. Specific Groups - Lesbians    13. United States    14. Women    15. Women in the book industries and trade    16. Biography & Autobiography / General    17. Family    18. Flanner, Janet    19. Murray, Natalia Danesi    20. Murray, William   

Reviews (2)

Just what I was looking for
I picked this up because it had two authors I think are always a sure thing and this was no exception.
Read the LAST story FIRST...!
Not just a simple retelling of an incident of passion, Delane Daugherty weaves together a story of heartbreak; a real-life legal battle like the ones that are occuring every day in our society; ostracation to small, less than gay-friendly town; then a slow, reawakening to a world she thought she could no longer enter.I felt every word she wrote.I only hope she and her daughter are living the life they both deserve now.Ms. Daugherty has written in several other Alyson books and has always been fantastic but, in this one, she has outdone herself! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Anthologies (multiple authors)    2. Biography    3. Erotica - General    4. Fiction    5. Fiction - Adult    6. Lesbian    7. Lesbians    8. Sexual behavior    9. Erotic fiction    10. Fiction / Lesbian    11. Literature of special Lesbian interest   

Reviews (6)

A Fun, Easy Read...
The book is organized into essays that read like really well-written blog posts.The author is lots of fun, and some of the stories she offers are both poignant and hilarious.Some of it can be a bit repetitive, but not so much as to annoy.If you're looking for some light reading and you're fairly openminded, you should definitely go for this one.

When a sequel is actually better
Overall, I liked this collection better than the first one.That having been said, I'd recommend reading "Fat Girls" first to become acquainted with the author's family. My favorite here was the transgender piece.

Witty and Insightful
Revenge of the Paste Eaters is a collection of witty, insightful and heartwarming essays about the author's life. Cheryl Peck pokes fun at herself, her family, her Midwestern upbringing, her insecurities and even her cat, but there is no malice in her words, and some of us can relate to the topics she chooses.
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Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. Anecdotes    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography And Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Feminists    8. Form - Essays    9. General    10. Humor    11. Lesbians    12. Michigan    13. Personal Memoirs    14. Specific Groups - Lesbians    15. Biography: general    16. English    17. Humor / Essays    18. USA   

Editorial Review

William Haines was one of MGM's biggest stars in the late 1920s, playing cocky but sympathetic wise guys in movies such as Read more

Reviews (24)

A sloppy job
This book was a major disappointment. It could have been good. Unfortunately, once you throw out all the regurgitated gossip, conjecture, and seemingly endless repetition, there's not much real information on William Haines. It doesn't help that Mann doesn't seem to know (or care) that he frequently contradicts himself. Potentially interesting topics - that Haines may have been a manic depressive, to name just one - are touched on, but Mann prefers rehashing old publicity to attempting any real insight. Things you can tell just by skimming through it
This book is very informative and full of eye-opening photographs.It reflects an issue that needs to be addressed much, much more.I already knew much about this silent star, and have learned more just by simply skimming through Mr. Mann's excellent survey.I definitely recommend it as I also recommend another of the author's books, which I am currently reading as well, "Behind the Screen: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910-1969."

AN ALMOST TRUE BOOK
For those looking for an introduction to the career of William Haines and for some insights into gay life in the 1920s and 1930s, this book will suffice.But it has as its grounding assumptions several false facts.