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Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.
America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father–despite his hard-won citizenship–Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
Why you should read it: This book is absolutely beautiful—possibly my favorite I've read so far this year, and that's with stiff competition. The historical setting is vividly painted, the characters are complicated and delightful, and nothing is easy. The romance between Lily and Kath is gorgeous, and I love the way the author paints the gradual confusion and feelings that come with finding their way through uncertain terrain. Stunning from start to finish.
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By Her Own Design by Piper Huguley
Less than a week before the society wedding of the year where Jacqueline Bouvier will marry John F. Kennedy, a pipe bursts at Ann Lowe’s dress shop and ruins eleven dresses, including the expensive wedding dress, a dress that will be judged by thousands. A Black designer who has fought every step of the way, Ann knows this is only one struggle after a lifetime of them. She and her seamstresses will find the way to re-create the dresses. It may take all day and all night for the next week to accomplish the task, but they will do it.
1918, Tampa
Raised in Jim Crow Alabama, Ann learned the art of sewing from her mother and her grandmother, a former slave, who are the most talented seamstresses in the state. After Ann elopes at twelve with an older man who soon proves himself to be an abusive alcoholic, her dreams of becoming a celebrated designer seem to be put on hold. But then a wealthy Tampa socialite sees Ann’s talent and offers her an amazing opportunity—the chance to sew and design clothing for Florida’s society elite. Taking her young son in the middle of the night, Ann escapes her husband and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime.
Why you should read it: There are a lot of parts in this book that are incredibly painful to read (because the subject matter is so honest and true to the subject's life, in ways that are sometimes difficult to look at directly). But despite this fact, the story as a whole feels like such a celebration. This novel is beautifully crafted, brilliantly researched, and overwhelmingly vivid. It left me wanting to read every nonfiction title about Ann Lowe that I can possibly get my hands on. Absolutely wonderful.
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Touchwood by Karin Kallmaker
A pre-Stonewall survivor. An out, proud woman of the Gay 90s. Decades separate them. Passion – and books – ignite them. Even when the world disapproves, love finds a way.
Why you should read it: I waffled on whether to categorize this romance as contemporary or historical, given that it was written over thirty years ago. It reads very contemporary in a LOT of ways, but there's no mistaking the world the characters occupy for a modern one. I suppose it doesn't really matter what subgenre it occupies. It's a lovely and complicated romance, that doesn't shy from difficult subject matter, and ultimately delivers the sweet happy ending the characters need. I thought the author did an excellent job of illustrating the realities of being queer in different eras, and the difficulties that can bring to relationships with a wide age gap.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can’t remember exactly when the question took root, but the answer was in full bloom the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club.
America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father–despite his hard-won citizenship–Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
Why you should read it: This book is absolutely beautiful—possibly my favorite I've read so far this year, and that's with stiff competition. The historical setting is vividly painted, the characters are complicated and delightful, and nothing is easy. The romance between Lily and Kath is gorgeous, and I love the way the author paints the gradual confusion and feelings that come with finding their way through uncertain terrain. Stunning from start to finish.
- — - — - — - — -
By Her Own Design by Piper Huguley
Less than a week before the society wedding of the year where Jacqueline Bouvier will marry John F. Kennedy, a pipe bursts at Ann Lowe’s dress shop and ruins eleven dresses, including the expensive wedding dress, a dress that will be judged by thousands. A Black designer who has fought every step of the way, Ann knows this is only one struggle after a lifetime of them. She and her seamstresses will find the way to re-create the dresses. It may take all day and all night for the next week to accomplish the task, but they will do it.
1918, Tampa
Raised in Jim Crow Alabama, Ann learned the art of sewing from her mother and her grandmother, a former slave, who are the most talented seamstresses in the state. After Ann elopes at twelve with an older man who soon proves himself to be an abusive alcoholic, her dreams of becoming a celebrated designer seem to be put on hold. But then a wealthy Tampa socialite sees Ann’s talent and offers her an amazing opportunity—the chance to sew and design clothing for Florida’s society elite. Taking her young son in the middle of the night, Ann escapes her husband and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime.
Why you should read it: There are a lot of parts in this book that are incredibly painful to read (because the subject matter is so honest and true to the subject's life, in ways that are sometimes difficult to look at directly). But despite this fact, the story as a whole feels like such a celebration. This novel is beautifully crafted, brilliantly researched, and overwhelmingly vivid. It left me wanting to read every nonfiction title about Ann Lowe that I can possibly get my hands on. Absolutely wonderful.
- — - — - — - — -
Touchwood by Karin Kallmaker
A pre-Stonewall survivor. An out, proud woman of the Gay 90s. Decades separate them. Passion – and books – ignite them. Even when the world disapproves, love finds a way.
Why you should read it: I waffled on whether to categorize this romance as contemporary or historical, given that it was written over thirty years ago. It reads very contemporary in a LOT of ways, but there's no mistaking the world the characters occupy for a modern one. I suppose it doesn't really matter what subgenre it occupies. It's a lovely and complicated romance, that doesn't shy from difficult subject matter, and ultimately delivers the sweet happy ending the characters need. I thought the author did an excellent job of illustrating the realities of being queer in different eras, and the difficulties that can bring to relationships with a wide age gap.
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