Rating: 4/5
05/26/2020 - 05/26/2020
"She probably thought I was crying out of passion for Jesus. That only made me cry harder."
+0.5 star for name dropping The Runaways
I think the dual narration was a big rough. The girls really merged together. I listened to the audiobook, which made this a lot harder. I noticed reviews were saying that the book was unrealistic, which is my least favorite criticism against stories about oppression and trauma. It just means the reviewer was lucky enough not to have experienced that stuff first hand or with someone else in their lives.
I thought the homophobia was extremely tame, especially for the seventies? Homophobia in church communities is still rampant, and I thought this was a great portrayal of the normalized bigotry.
I grew up with San Francisco. I was so happy to learn that this was in the midst of Harvey Milk's election. I don't think I ever read a fictional book that even mentioned Harvey Milk. I think we do need more quality wlw books, especially by queer women. I will definitely be reading more of Robin Talley's works.
Synopsis
It's summer 1977 and closeted lesbian Tammy Larson can't be herself anywhere. Not at her strict Christian high school, not at her conservative Orange County church and certainly not at home, where her ultrareligious aunt relentlessly organizes antigay political campaigns. Tammy's only outlet is writing secret letters in her diary to gay civil rights activist Harvey Milk...until she's matched with a real-life pen pal who changes everything.
Sharon Hawkins bonds with Tammy over punk music and carefully shared secrets, and soon their letters become the one place she can be honest. The rest of her life in San Francisco is full of lies. The kind she tells for others--like helping her gay brother hide the truth from their mom--and the kind she tells herself. But as antigay fervor in America reaches a frightening new pitch, Sharon and Tammy must rely on their long-distance friendship to discover their deeply personal truths, what they'll stand for...and who they'll rise against.
A master of award-winning queer historical fiction, New York Times bestselling author Robin Talley once again brings to life with heart and vivid detail an emotionally captivating story about the lives of two teen girls living in an age when just being yourself was an incredible act of bravery.
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