From the Bookshelf of Queereaders…

Stone Butch Blues

Leslie Feinberg

Start date: August 1, 2009

Finish date: September 30, 2009

Discussion: group reads

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Oct 13, 2019 Thomas rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-for-dmv-bookclub, adult-fiction, lgbtq

4.5 stars

One of the best queer novels I have ever read, Stone Butch Blues takes us back to the 1950s, a time replete with police raids, union riots, the Vietnam war, Stonewall, and more. The novel follows Jess, a butch lesbian, as she progresses through her teen years to her adulthood. The first-person narration puts us right up and close with Jess, so we see her find herself and her identity as a teen, to when she falls in love with her first femme, to when she works in factories and starts to 4.5 stars

One of the best queer novels I have ever read, Stone Butch Blues takes us back to the 1950s, a time replete with police raids, union riots, the Vietnam war, Stonewall, and more. The novel follows Jess, a butch lesbian, as she progresses through her teen years to her adulthood. The first-person narration puts us right up and close with Jess, so we see her find herself and her identity as a teen, to when she falls in love with her first femme, to when she works in factories and starts to unionize. I had to finish this book on deadline to discuss it with one of my feminist book clubs, but even without that deadline I would have speeded through given how immersive Jess’s perspective felt after 75 pages or so.

I liked this book because of how honest, painful, and raw it felt. There are a lot of graphic scenes in Stone Butch Blues, including sexual assault and physical beatings, so be warned. However, I appreciated this content because Leslie Feinberg writes those scenes in such a way that honors the true homophobia, heterosexism, and transphobia that queer and trans people experienced (and still experience) in the United States. Feinberg approaches the brutality of the queer experience with refreshing truthfulness, as well as the solidarity and resilience of queer and trans people. From a writing perspective, I loved the dialogue in this novel – it showcased Jess and her relationships to the many butches and femmes she found community and conflict with throughout her life so well. The characters felt alive and distinct and I enjoyed that so much. I did not even feel that bothered by the many, many romantic relationships Jess went through, given how Feinberg still emphasized the importance of queer community overall as well as had a little section where Jess read books and worked on herself without a romantic partner, too.

This book reinvigorates me to fight for queer liberation in any way I can. Feinberg does an excellent job showing how Jess’s experience of sexual assault and trauma affects her relationships, and as someone in the mental health field I feel a renewed inspiration to provide compassionate and gender-affirming care for those who have faced similar experiences of marginalization. Through this book, Feinberg also touches on racism in the queer community, the rise of trans-exclusionary radical feminism, and other divisive topics that still play out today. When I finished Stone Butch Blues, I felt so grateful for Leslie Feinberg and other activists who have made my life as a queer person so much easier than it would have been than if I had lived several decades ago. Recommended for those interested in queer narratives and social justice. ...more

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