From the Bookshelf of Queereaders…

Stone Butch Blues

Leslie Feinberg

Start date: August 1, 2009

Finish date: September 30, 2009

Discussion: group reads

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 114 topics — 1,988 comments total

group reads

This topic has been closed to new comments.

* List of group reads
By Nancy · 1 post · 1516 views

last updated Oct 30, 2009 05:04PM

Books that Helped Us See Ourselves
By M.J · 20 posts · 37 views

last updated Sep 09, 2025 01:10PM

showing 8 of 8 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Apr 27, 2017 Saul rated it it was amazing

Shelves: history, queer

it's classic for a reason-- especially important for understanding the intersections and fault lines between old-school lesbian life (1950s-1980s) and the transgender male community. it's also a worthwhile portrayal of working-class life in upstate NY in that era.

i avoided this book because of an aversion to the term 'butch' due to some combo of internalized homophobia, a fear of being misgendered via others' categorization of me as a gay woman, and generational differences in the overtones of t ...more

Like · see review

Jun 16, 2007 Lobeck rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: queer

Yipes, this book was a hard read. The pre-Stonewall era was extremely harsh for queerfolk; between the rapes, beatings, and general hatred from law enforcement and the general public alike, I frankly don't know how people survived. (I know it still happens today, but there was SO LITTLE safe space in those days). This is the personal narrative of Leslie Feinberg, categorized as fiction, but as I understand it fairly true to life. I could only award this book two stars because of the sheer depres ...more

Like · see review