Synopses & Reviews
Winner of the National Book Award
A New York Times Bestseller
The queer romance we've been waiting for." Ms. Magazine
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root — that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible.
But 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.
Review
“This standout work of historical fiction combines meticulous research with tender romance to create a riveting bildungsroman.” Horn Book (Starred Review)
Review
"A riveting, emotionally stirring tale....Last Night at the Telegraph Club — focused on unapologetically embracing one's true self — is a spectacular addition to the young adult historical fiction genre." Shelf Awareness (Starred Review)
Review
“Historically accurate and well-researched.” SLC (Starred Review)
Review
"Smoothly referencing cultural touchstones and places with historic Chinese American significance, Lo conjures 1950s San Francisco adeptly while transcending historicity through a sincere exploration of identity and love." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
Review
“This immersive, powerful coming-of-age novel tackles perceptions, expectations, and identity while sweeping readers into smoky lesbian nightclubs and '50s culture." BCCB (Starred Review)
Review
“Last Night at the Telegraph Club is a work of historical fiction that's as meticulously researched as it is full of raw, authentic emotion....Shout it from the highest hills: This is a beautiful, brave story, and Lily is a heroine that readers will love." BookPage (Starred Review)
Review
"A must-read love story...alternately heart-wrenching and satisfying." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"Finally, the intersectional, lesbian, historical teen novel so many readers have been waiting for." Kirkus (Starred Review)
About the Author
Malinda Lo is the New York Times bestselling author of Last Night at the Telegraph Club, winner of the National Book Award, the Stonewall Book Award, and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, as well as Michael L. Printz and Walter Dean Myers honors. Her debut novel Ash, a Sapphic retelling of Cinderella, was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award, the Andre Norton Award for YA Science Fiction and Fantasy, the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and the Lambda Literary Award. Malinda's short fiction and nonfiction has been published by The New York Times, NPR, Autostraddle, The Horn Book, and multiple anthologies. She lives in Massachusetts with her wife and their dog.
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