A Restricted Country

Rating:
Summary: A renewed appreciation of what it means to be lesbian
Review: A Restricted Country is the personal and candid testimony of lesbian activist, speaker, and working class woman Joan Nestle. Originally published in 1987, this new edition of A Restricted Country now features new black-and-white photographs and a new introduction. Joan Nestle's core musings concerning censorship, memories, the "historical sisterhood" of lesbians and prostitutes, sexual changes in society throughout the twentieth century, and more, offer timeless insights and a renewed appreciation of what it means to be lesbian.

Rating:
Summary: One of my top ten
Review: This book of essays is one of my most favorite books about lesbian herstory.

Joan Nestle is a co-founder of the Lesbian Herstory Archives in Brooklyn, NY, and her passion for remembering and honoring lesbian life and culture can be seen in this collection. From the perspective of a witness/participant in the pre-Stonewall era of gay life in NYC, Nestle recreates the courage and the struggles of lesbians to find each other and create community in the '50s and '60s. Nestle's writing is beautiful and moving; this book is unique.

I highly recommend this book for everyone who wants an understanding of lesbian life and culture during these particular years; I especially recommend this book for younger lesbians and gay men who are interested in understanding the lives and sacrifices of the generation previous, who helped create what we know and enjoy as contemporary lesbian and gay culture.