A Restricted Country

By Joan Nestle

Book Overview

Joan Nestle is a lesbian icon. A proud working class woman, an "out" lesbian long before the Rainbow revolution. she has stood at the forefront of American freedom struggles from the McCarthy era to the present day. Spokeswoman for butchfemme desire, Joan Nestle claimed the right to her own sexuality and femme identity at a time when to do so made her a figure of controversy. In so doing, she laid the groundwork for the lesbian, gay and transgender movements of today. Featuring new photographs and a new introduction by the author, this classic collection is available for a new generation of readers. Book jacket.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0932379370
• ISBN13: 9780932379375
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Firebrand Books
• Length: 189 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 5.8" x 0.5"

Customer Reviews

A renewed appreciation of what it means to be lesbian

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.

One of my top ten

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.