Synopses & Reviews
Born in 1940, Lillian Faderman was the only child of an uneducated and unmarried immigrant Jewish woman. Her mother, whose family perished in the Holocaust, was racked by guilt at having come to America and left them behind; she suffered recurrent psychotic episodes. Her only escape from the brutal labor of her sweatshop job was her fiercely loved daughter, Lilly, whose poignant dream throughout an impoverished childhood was to become a movie star and "rescue" her mother. Lilly grew up to become Lil, outwardly tough, inwardly innocent, hungry for love and success. A beautiful young woman who was learning that her deepest erotic and emotional connections were to women, she found herself in a dangerous but seductive lesbian underworld of addicts, pimps, and prostitutes. Desperately seeking to make her life meaningful and to redeem her mother's suffering, she entered the University of California at Berkeley and worked her way through college as a burlesque stripper. A brilliant student, she ultimately achieved a Ph.D. At last she became Lillian, the woman who in time became a loving partner, a devoted mother, an acclaimed writer, and a charismatic, groundbreaking scholar of gay and lesbian studies.
Told with wrenching immediacy and great power, this is an extraordinary memoir: the nakedly honest -- and very American -- story of an exceptional woman and her remarkable, unorthodox life.
Review
"As for so many other writers, a background of want and trauma proves a vein worth mining for Faderman....Despite some low-life experiences as an adult, Faderman eventually distinguished herself as a gay and lesbian studies scholar and, in this gripping memoir, as a superb writer." Whitney Scott, Booklist
Review
"Exceedingly honest, endearing and profound, Faderman truly shows readers the distance she's traveled, from 'little momzer' to esteemed academic." Publisher's Weekly
Review
"Noted gay-studies scholar Faderman (To Believe in Women, 1999, etc.) crafts one of those rare autobiographies that conscientiously detail the temptations of destructive behavior while also celebrating the resilience of the human spirit....Relentlessly honest and perceptive, but also loving toward an emotionally frail parent." Kirkus Reviews
Synopsis
Born in 1940, Lillian Faderman was the only child of an uneducated and unmarried immigrant Jewish woman. Her mother, whose family perished in the Holocaust, was racked by guilt at having come to America and left them behind; she suffered recurring psychotic episodes. Her only escape from the brutal labor of her sweatshop job was her fiercely loved daughter, Lilly, whose poignant dream throughout childhood was to become a movie star and "rescue" her mother. Lilly grew up to become Lil, outwardly tough, inwardly innocent, and hungry for love and success. A beautiful young woman who was learning that her deepest erotic and emotional connections were to women, she found herself in a dangerous but seductive lesbian underworld of addicts, pimps, and prostitutes. Desperately seeking to make her life meaningful and to redeem her mothers suffering, she entered college (working her way through as a stripper) and became a brilliant student, ultimately achieving a Ph.D. At last she became Lillian loving partner, devoted mother, charismatic and influential writer, and groundbreaking scholar of gay and lesbian studies. Told with wrenching immediacy and great power, this is the nakedly honest and very American story of an exceptional woman.
About the Author
Lillian Faderman is the author of such acclaimed works as To Believe in Women, Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers, and Surpassing the Love of Men. Among the many honors her work has received are the Yale University James Brudner Award for Exemplary Scholarship in Lesbian/Gay Studies, three Lambda Literary Awards, and the Paul Monette Award. She teaches literature and creative writing at California State University at Fresno.
Table of Contents
Contents Acknowledgments Vii I Lilly 1 How I Became an Overachiever 3 2 Going Crazy In East L.A. 24 3 Crushed 44 4 Men I 64 5 Shedding 87 II Lil 6 Hollywood 105 7 My Movie-Actress Nose 130 8 The Open Door 142 9 Getting the Gift of Wisdom 160 10 Kicked Out 173 11 A Jewish Prince 190 12 A Married Woman 207 III Lillian 13 Higher Education 227 14 How I Became a Burlesque Queen 247 15 Men II 267 16 Professor Faderman 286 17 How I Became a College Administrator 306 18 Sheaves of Oats 331 19 Epilogue 351