An “exceedingly honest, endearing and profound” memoir by the
daughter of a Holocaust survivor who grew up to become a pioneer for
gay and lesbian rights (Publishers Weekly). Lillian Faderman was born
in 1940, the only child of an uneducated, unmarried, Jewish immigrant
woman. Her mother, Mary, whose family perished in the Holocaust, was
racked by guilt over leaving them behind for America; she also
suffered recurrent psychotic episodes. Mary’s only escape from
brutal days working in a sweatshop was her Lilly, who dreamed of
becoming a movie star and “rescuing” 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. Desperate to make her life meaningful and redeem her
mother’s suffering, Lil entered the University of California at
Berkeley and worked her way through college as a burlesque stripper. A
brilliant student, she eventually achieved a PhD. Ultimately, she
became Lillian, 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 honest—and very American—story of an
exceptional woman and her remarkable, unorthodox life.
Les mer
A Memoir
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780547345383
Publisert
2016
Utgiver
Vendor
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (ORM)
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter