You're Not from Around Here, Are You?: A Lesbian in Small-Town America
Author(s): Louise A. Blum (Author)
- Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
- Publication Date: April 8, 2001
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 272 pages
- ISBN-10: 0299170942
- ISBN-13: 9780299170943
Book Description
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.
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
For most Americans, relocating to a small town, getting married, and starting a family is a clich . For gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people fearing isolation, ostracism, and worse such a step requires courage. Blum and her partner meet with obstacles not experienced by most Americans, as when they decide Blum will undergo alternative insemination and they are refused service by the first doctor they go to. After she gets pregnant, Blum is subjected to a hate sheet put out by students speculating that her child will be deformed. Even the couple's friends and supporters can't fathom the depth of their vulnerability. Blum's memoir ends at the birth of the couple's daughter, just when it becomes even more interesting: what is it like for a child to grow up with gay parents in small-town America? 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. Ina Rimpau, Newark P.L., NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"I love this book. It is so honest, open, and emotionally riveting. Blum is very funny, even and often in the middle of a traumatic moment."—Lyn Lifshin, author of Before It’s Light: New Poems
"A gem of a book. More than a memoir, this is a gripping tale told by a born storyteller, a picaresque narrative about being a lesbian in God’s country. Blum recognizes, in felicitous and well-crafted prose, both the humor and the poignancy of her story, vividly evoking the difficulties and rewards of finding a place in her community for her new family. Savor this book."—Mary Dearborn, author of Queen of Bohemia: The Life of Louise Bryant
"This book is a refreshing change from urban queer memoirs and a poignant reminder that we are indeed everywhere."—Gay and Lesbian Times
"Blum’s at times cautionary tale will be a reality check for LGBT readers and an eye-opener for straight ones."—Library Journal
From the Back Cover
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.
With the help of a tiny sperm vial they call "Dad", she and her partner decide to have a child, unleashing a storm of controversy in their small town. From a glowing feature article in the family section of a local newspaper to the resulting prayer vigils on the village green, the town responds in radically different ways to their presence. 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.
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.
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You're Not from Around Here, Are You?: A Lesbian in Small-Town America
Author(s): Louise A. Blum (Author)
- Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press
- Publication Date: April 8, 2001
- Edition: 1st
- Language: English
- Print length: 288 pages
- ISBN-10: 029917090X
- ISBN-13: 9780299170905
Book Description
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.
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
For most Americans, relocating to a small town, getting married, and starting a family is a clich . For gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people fearing isolation, ostracism, and worse such a step requires courage. Blum and her partner meet with obstacles not experienced by most Americans, as when they decide Blum will undergo alternative insemination and they are refused service by the first doctor they go to. After she gets pregnant, Blum is subjected to a hate sheet put out by students speculating that her child will be deformed. Even the couple's friends and supporters can't fathom the depth of their vulnerability. Blum's memoir ends at the birth of the couple's daughter, just when it becomes even more interesting: what is it like for a child to grow up with gay parents in small-town America? 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. Ina Rimpau, Newark P.L., NJ
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"I love this book. It is so honest, open, and emotionally riveting. Blum is very funny, even and often in the middle of a traumatic moment."—Lyn Lifshin, author of Before It’s Light: New Poems
"A gem of a book. More than a memoir, this is a gripping tale told by a born storyteller, a picaresque narrative about being a lesbian in God’s country. Blum recognizes, in felicitous and well-crafted prose, both the humor and the poignancy of her story, vividly evoking the difficulties and rewards of finding a place in her community for her new family. Savor this book."—Mary Dearborn, author of Queen of Bohemia: The Life of Louise Bryant
"This book is a refreshing change from urban queer memoirs and a poignant reminder that we are indeed everywhere."—Gay and Lesbian Times
"Blum’s at times cautionary tale will be a reality check for LGBT readers and an eye-opener for straight ones."—Library Journal
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.
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