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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (July 18, 1997)
j u . t o u t ▼ july 18. 1997 ▼ 19 BOOKING INTO SUMMER And that calls for a reading list. Tuck into these covers when you’re sporting lycra by the pool or ducking under a cafe awning waiting for the sun. ▼ s the summer smells remind us o f days gone by, so too do they bring back the words we read dur ing long summer vacations where our pent-up energies could be wast ed bothering our parents or poring over volumes long-awaited. Even while we know there are bills to be paid, or dishes done, or other duties too numerous to recount, the sum mer light is breaking through the window in fractured beams and illu minating the chair where we long to sit and delve deep into literaryt plea sure. To paraphrase a famous dessert company’s slogan, Life's short, read first. " Dive in. by Christopher D. Cuttone and Beren deMotier Sharon Gedan. Naiad Press, 1997; $14.95 paper. Extremely practical, useful and down-to-earth guide to starting, keeping and maintaining love in your life. Cross Purposes: Lesbians, Feminists and the Limits o f Alliance edited by Dana Heller. Indiana University Press, 1997; $35 cloth, $14.95 paper. The role of lesbians in the feminism of the '70s and the role of feminism today in queer politics is explored in this scholarly work. Though queer activists claim little to do with the les bian feminism that emerged in the ’70s, Lillian Faderman writes in her afterword to the book: “(D|espite the annoying refusal of queers to credit les bian-feminism. much of queer theory seems to be old wine in new bottles.” Challenging and interesting. Lesbian Words: State o f the Art edited by Randy Turoff. Richard Kasak, 1995; $10.95 paper. Alluring array of essays by writers such as Judy Grahn, Eileen Myles, Dorothy Allison, Jewelle Gomez and Pat Califia. From menstru al blood to vampires to facing the possibility of “ — BdM Fiction Women Flaming Iguanas by Erika Lopez. Simon & Schuster Editions, 1997; $18.50 cloth. A book to give you new faith in mainstream publishing houses. A fascinating monologue, memoir, road book and work of art. Major grrrl eneigy. Lopez challenges all definitions and shoots her way into a 21st-century mindset of “anything goes.” Strong, intelligent and straight from the gut, or possibly six inches lower. Passion's Shadow by Nicole Conn. Berkley, 1997; $5.99 paper. By the author of Claire o f the Moon. Lesbian melodrama with sex, high heels, smoking and lots of drinking. Loving Wanda Beaver by Alison Baker. Chronicle Books, 1997; $11.95 paper. A collec tion of stories and a novella by O. Henry Award-winner Baker. The title story is bril liant. Not all lesbian stuff by any means, but when it comes to articulate, intelligent, capturing-the- moment fiction, she has the goods. Fat Me by Linda Jaivin. Broadway Books, 1997; $20 cloth. A huge best seller in Australia, this book will make your eyes pop out and your mouth form the sound “whoa!” by the end of the first story. Take this to the beach, but not alone or in a crowded place—who knows what you might feel inclined to do. That is, if you can take a lot of het sex mixed in with your lesbian encounters. Amazing writing. In the Mood by Robbi Summers. Naiad Press, 1997; $11.95 paper. Your basic mild-mannered lesbian erotica. The Love o f Friends: An Anthology o f Gay and lesbian Letters to Lovers and Friends edited by Constance Jones, with research by Val Clark. Simon and Schuster, 1997; $26 cloth. A pure delight for fans of the epistolary arts. From May Sarton to Horace Walpole, from Renée Vivien to T.E. Lawrence, many of the most famous and infamous lovers of their sex are rep resented by their own words. Beginning with a letter from Sappho herself, this is not a book to be missed. C hristopher’s Dreams by Robert Bosnak. Delta Trade Paperbacks, 1997; $9.95 paper. A Jungian analyst specializing in dream work, Bosnak offers an updated version of his now-classic title Dreaming with an AIDS Patient. To his moving account of a man with AIDS and the heal ing relationship that changed both their lives, Bosnak adds an inspirational continu ation based on his work with people for whom protease inhibitors offer new hope for the future. The Least o f These My Brethren by Daniel J. Baxter, M.D. Harmony Books, 1997; $24 cloth. Bringing us the AIDS story no one has told, Baxter expresses the tragedy of HIV among the homeless, drug users N on fiction Women Sexual State o f the Union by Susie Bright. Simon & Schuster, 1997; $23 cloth. I really have and impoverished—people who are already marginalized and least likely to get the help they need. But this is not a tale of despair; the author recounts his experiences in New York’s largest designated AIDS center and the reasons for hope he found there. Inventing the A ID S Virus by Peter H. Duesberg. Regnery, 19%; $24.95 cloth. This long-awaited release by the most prominent and persistent critic of HIV as the cause of AIDS presents a decade’s worth of evidence previous ly revealed only in scientific journals. Duesberg’s weighty book questions the founda tions of $7 billion in AIDS research spent annu ally in the United States, and exposes major flaws in current AIDS theory. Get On with It: The Gay and Lesbian Guide to Getting Online by Richard Laermer. Broadway Books, 1997; $18 paper. If you’re still not on-line (in other words, if you live in a cave or a tree house), then get with the program. This resource provides the skinny on hooking up, communicating effectively, dealing with pri vacy issues, locating the information you want and learning everything you ever wanted to know (but were afraid to ask your co-workers) about sex on the Net. to hand it to her, whether you agree with her or not, she is a bright mind and a fine writer. This book is personal essay/political analysis; or is it personal analysis/political essay? You decide. It’s worth it. The Loving Lesbian by Claire McNab and AIDS as lesbians. Passions Between Women by Emma Donoghue. Harper Perennial, 1996; $13 paper. A scholarly and fascinating history of lesbians in Britain from 1668 to 1801 by the author of the novels Hood and Stir-fry. Drawing on med ical evidence, historical record and literature, Donoghue makes the case that passionate sexu al relationships between women were far more common than the current literature suggests. For all of us who read and re-read Surpassing the Love o f Men as part of our coming out process, this comes as a welcome addition to the volumes which detail our history. Continued on page 21