To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done for America - A History

by Lillian Faderman

Book Overview

This landmark work of lesbian history focuses on how certain late-nineteenth-century and twentieth-century women whose lives can be described as lesbian were in the forefront of the battle to secure the rights and privileges that large numbers of Americans enjoy today. Lillian Faderman persuasively argues that their lesbianism may in fact have facilitated their accomplishments. A book of impeccable research and compelling readability, TO BELIEVE...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618056971
• ISBN13: 9780618056972
• Release Date: June 2000
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.6" x 8.8"

Customer Reviews

Excellent addition to my bookshelf

Lillian Faderman is, hands down, THE best researcher and writer of lesbian American history EVER. I own a copy of all her books; each gets better than the last. And this one continues the trend -- it is simply wonderful. A great read and an important historical document.

Superb book for feminists of all sexualities

A heterosexual feminist ally, I picked up this book at the suggestion of a friend, and was entranced by the premise of the book and meticulously researched evidence. Precisely because they were not bound by unintended pregnancy (which continued to be a problem until the early 70's)Lesbians were the vanguard of the women's movement on everything from equal employment to the vote and birth control, and had an obligation to work towards policies that would benefit all women regardless of sexuality. Granted some readers of the reviews will decide that this book attempts to glorify lesbians at the expense of straight women, but I have read this book repeatedly and simply find the truth as it existed in historical context. Faderman simply points out the important role that Lesbians have played---a contribution that gets over shaddowed in many straight women's and gay men's focused history books.

Affirming and informative

Fantastic book. Really a must read! Provides an accurate interpretation of the impact of lesbians in leading and creating social movements in the USA.

Who knew?

Wow! I'm just amazed at how many important people and events have happened that I've never heard of. This book is fun to read,is inspiring and it is only just that people should know about lesbians contributions that benefitted all women. We all owe them a debt. And to who ever wrote the 2 star review...."frustrated"? didn't sound too frustrated to me, sounded like they were having a pretty good time, no evidence? come on, I mean, what straight women write letters like that in ANY era? Buy this book and read it. Its another of the pieces of the puzzle to the past that have been lost or ignored.

Book by book, Lillian Faderman continues to surpass herself.

I don't ordinarily write reviews; rather, I read them. But I must take issue---and I very much disagree---with the two-star review (above) given Faderman's newest book `To Believe In Women'. Faderman's work, from the classic `Surpassing the Love of Men', through `Scotch Verdict', `Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers' (and the great, sprawling anthology `CHLOE plus OLIVIA' which she edited and for which she wrote the prologue to each section), stands far away and above the work of almost any other scholar of lesbian history; indeed, the great bulk of work by contemporary scholars in the field of lesbian history has not only been based upon, but legitimized by her efforts. She was *the* pioneer, and continues to be the foremost lesbian historian of our time. And while Faderman is a scholar of tremendous erudition, as a writer she manages to walk a line between the academic and the accessible with all the wit, grace, and agility of a cat. In `To Believe In Women', she is, as ever, at her best.Taking on the task of interweaving the political, social, and educational impacts of American lesbians of past generations on American culture is no easy job; in `To Believe In Women', Faderman handles that job with style and finesse. She explores not only these womens' accomplishments, but their failures and setbacks, as well. She examines not only successful lesbian relationships, but those that fail or compromise (a form of failure in itself) because of social fear, financial insecurity, or simply a change of heart. But what is perhaps one of the most pleasing points of this book is that Faderman allows these long-gone (and sometimes heterosexually- married) women to speak for themselves and their lesbianism in private letters and personal diaries; papers in which, even when the writer was (occasionally) attempting to be `discreet', the lesbian subtext is far from sotto voce. Faderman makes her case for these women's lesbianism amply clear to anyone with the simple ability to *think* as they read. In short, `To Believe In Women', is yet one more excellent addition to lesbian history; a book to be savored, enjoyed, and remembered. "I shall go to Chicago and visit my new lover---dear Mrs. (Emily) Gross---en route to Kansas.So with new hope and new life..." --Susan B. Anthony**as cited in `To Believe In Women', page 1