Synopses & Reviews
This is a funny, moving story about life in a small town, from the point of view of a pregnant lesbian. Louise A. Blum, author of the critically acclaimed novel
Amnesty, now tells the story of her own life and her decision to be out, loud, and pregnant. Mixing humor with memorable prose, Blum recounts how a quiet, conservative town in an impoverished stretch of Appalachia reacts as she and a local woman, Connie, fall in love, move in together, and determine to live their life together openly and truthfully.
The town responds in radically different ways to the couple's presence, from prayer vigils on the village green to a feature article in the family section of the local newspaper. This is a cautionary, wise, and celebratory tale about what it's like to be different in America both the good and the bad. A depiction of small town life with all its comforts and its terrors, this memoir speaks to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider in America. Blum tells her story with a razor wit and deft precision, a story about two "girls with grit," and the child they decide to raise, right where they are, in small town America.
Review
"[I]t sounds like the premise of a sitcom, but this personal narrative...is by turns poignant and wonderfully witty....[T]he book is filled with touching surprises..." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Blum is a superb writer." Feminist Bookstore News
Review
"Blum's at times cautionary tale will be a reality check for LGBT readers and an eye-opener for straight ones. Recommended for all collections." Library Journal
Synopsis
Put together 20 million frozen sperm, two funny women, and one impoverished stretch of Appalachia and what do you get? A wise and celebratory tale by Louise A. Blum, author of the critically acclaimed novel Amnesty, who now uses her razor wit and deft precision to tell the story of her own life. A depiction of small-town life with all its comforts and its terrors, this memoir will speak to anyone who's ever felt like an outsider in America.
Synopsis
Blum and her (female) partner's decision to have a baby provided the citizens of their small town in Pennsylvania with much to talk about, protest against, and hold pray meetings over. Blum (English, Mansfield U., Pennsylvania) retells the story with humor, though readers will admire her daily courage to remain in a town that takes such umbrage at her pregnancy and childrearing.
About the Author
Louise A. Blum has published poetry, short stories, and a novel, Amnesty, a finalist for the 1996 Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Fiction. A graduate of the Iowa Writer's Workshop, she is associate professor of English at Mansfield University in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, and lives in Corning, New York.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Will That Be MasterCard or Visa? 1
Just Don't Do Anything Stupid 15
Maybe It's Morning Sickness 25
I'm Gay!!! 43
Getting a Double Dose of It 51
She Should Keep It in the Bedroom 63
Welcome to Satan's Playground 77
The Guys at the Sporting Goods Store Think You're the Greatest 95
If There's a Blue Line in the Large Window 117
Well, Just Be Careful 129
The Precocious Child of an Eccentric Writer 139
Why Don't I Run Down to the Liquor Store? 149
Zoe = Life 161
There Is Something Out There Known as Mother Nature 169
This Is Your Conscience Speaking 179
Hell We're All Sinners! 191
Your Silence Will Not Protect You 201
It's Just So Hard to Get to Brooklyn 215
Making Room for My Baby 225
Give Me the Stamps 235
Just Make Sure Your Water Isn't Leaking 249
We Thought Maybe You'd Changed Your Mind 257