The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader
This anthology of stories, poems, and nonfiction accounts pays homage to a host of femme and butch lesbian relationships that have flourished over four decades. The narrators recount their experiences, describing how they met, how they took care of one another, and how they tried--or defiantly tried not--to fit in. The selections themselves bubble with passion and pain. Some dive beneath the surface to explore the varied meanings of gender roles, but most describe highly ritualistic manners of dress, hairstyle, and gesture that at times left the protagonist open to ridicule. In collecting these pieces into one volume, Nestle ( A Restricted Country , Firebrand Bks., 1987) has made sure that the integrity and diversity of femme-butch relationships will not be lost. She has included narratives from women of many backgrounds and ethnic groups and from outside the United States. Highly recommended for academic and large public libraries.- Lisa Nussbaum, Euclid P.L., OhioCopyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.