You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
*Thanks to NetGalley and Inkyard Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review*
Sharon and Tammy, high school pen pals, are struggling to discover themselves in the hopeful and volatile world of the late 1970’s gay rights movement in this epistolary novel. Tammy has to hide her identity from her church-founding, Anita-Bryant-worshipping family in Orange County; and Sharon regularly sneaks out with her gay brother, Peter, for activist causes and punk rock shows. The girls find in each other the kind of friendship that will transform their lives.
This is such a cute and inspiring story, historical and relevant, but I would definitely give it a content warning for queers who have lived in very religious, anti-gay homes. Even though my upbringing was comparatively tame (an unspoken, but taught, “that doesn’t happen in our family”), my blood still boiled when I read about Aunt Mandy, and I had to step away from the book when I got too upset. Tammy’s relatives are so manipulative, unforgiving, and cruel, it’s tantamount to child abuse. Which happens, and is important to address, but I think Tammy should be in therapy where she can learn that she’s the victim of their sadism, and none of it was her fault, and God actually doesn’t think she’s gross or should go to hell, etc. I think it would be helpful for the book to include resources for teens who have been abused like Tammy was.
This leads to something I really loved about the book: the importance of found family. This story demonstrates that queer found family is necessary for literal survival (if Tammy didn’t have Sharon to turn to, statistically she would probably have taken her own life), exploring identity, growing, and thriving. To find people and places where we can feel safe and seen is vital, and is something that we have to fight for, apparently, all the time.
Tammy, Sharon, and Peter fight for acceptance on individual levels, with Sharon and Peter sneaking to the Castro and volunteering, and Tammy attempting to distance herself from her family. But freedom and acceptance as individuals is also dependent on freedom and acceptance at local, state, and federal levels, and their personal crusades naturally lead into political activism, knocking on doors, marching, demonstrating, and voting. In showing how absolutely imperative it was to get involved in these politics of the 70’s, Talley makes a clear case for getting involved in the politics of today. We’ve got to research, talk, organize, march, demonstrate, and vote, because nobody else is going to fight for us, and even though these events seem so long ago, gay rights are still a recent thing and our hold on them is so tenuous, it’s going to take all of us to keep them.
This is a great book for teens to learn about Harvey Milk, the “gay panic” of the 70s, and the importance of taking an active role in fighting for your rights. It’s also just a great book, period.
Rating: four stars.
Sharon and Tammy, high school pen pals, are struggling to discover themselves in the hopeful and volatile world of the late 1970’s gay rights movement in this epistolary novel. Tammy has to hide her identity from her church-founding, Anita-Bryant-worshipping family in Orange County; and Sharon regularly sneaks out with her gay brother, Peter, for activist causes and punk rock shows. The girls find in each other the kind of friendship that will transform their lives.
This is such a cute and inspiring story, historical and relevant, but I would definitely give it a content warning for queers who have lived in very religious, anti-gay homes. Even though my upbringing was comparatively tame (an unspoken, but taught, “that doesn’t happen in our family”), my blood still boiled when I read about Aunt Mandy, and I had to step away from the book when I got too upset. Tammy’s relatives are so manipulative, unforgiving, and cruel, it’s tantamount to child abuse. Which happens, and is important to address, but I think Tammy should be in therapy where she can learn that she’s the victim of their sadism, and none of it was her fault, and God actually doesn’t think she’s gross or should go to hell, etc. I think it would be helpful for the book to include resources for teens who have been abused like Tammy was.
This leads to something I really loved about the book: the importance of found family. This story demonstrates that queer found family is necessary for literal survival (if Tammy didn’t have Sharon to turn to, statistically she would probably have taken her own life), exploring identity, growing, and thriving. To find people and places where we can feel safe and seen is vital, and is something that we have to fight for, apparently, all the time.
Tammy, Sharon, and Peter fight for acceptance on individual levels, with Sharon and Peter sneaking to the Castro and volunteering, and Tammy attempting to distance herself from her family. But freedom and acceptance as individuals is also dependent on freedom and acceptance at local, state, and federal levels, and their personal crusades naturally lead into political activism, knocking on doors, marching, demonstrating, and voting. In showing how absolutely imperative it was to get involved in these politics of the 70’s, Talley makes a clear case for getting involved in the politics of today. We’ve got to research, talk, organize, march, demonstrate, and vote, because nobody else is going to fight for us, and even though these events seem so long ago, gay rights are still a recent thing and our hold on them is so tenuous, it’s going to take all of us to keep them.
This is a great book for teens to learn about Harvey Milk, the “gay panic” of the 70s, and the importance of taking an active role in fighting for your rights. It’s also just a great book, period.
Rating: four stars.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
slow-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So cute! I wasn't expecting the way that Talley incorporated music into this book, but I still enjoyed it. Hearing Tammy and Sharon's character development as they grew to accept their sexualities and realize that they deserve love and happiness was a great way to end Pride month.
Read my full review on my blog Sometimes Leelynn Reads
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Netgalley, and Inkyard Books for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
Ahhh wow this book actually makes me cry. I was really into this book, literally staying up all night reading the letters between Sharon and Tammy, and their diary entries. I think that Talley did a great job with having the prose in the form of letters because I think it worked out way better for this book to have it told that way. I also really loved that Tammy also had her diary as letters to Harvey Milk because that helped her feel like she wasn’t alone in her feelings.
Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Netgalley, and Inkyard Books for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.
Ahhh wow this book actually makes me cry. I was really into this book, literally staying up all night reading the letters between Sharon and Tammy, and their diary entries. I think that Talley did a great job with having the prose in the form of letters because I think it worked out way better for this book to have it told that way. I also really loved that Tammy also had her diary as letters to Harvey Milk because that helped her feel like she wasn’t alone in her feelings.
So first you should know that this book ends in November 1978, but before Harvey Milk's assassination. (That's history and it's not a spoiler.) I loved this book but I had an incredible amount of anxiety as we got closer to November because I knew what was coming.
And I really loved this book so much. I was born in 1980, so this is not that much before my time, but my teenage years were so different. Ellen came out when I was in high school, and I remember watching that episode live and feeling like we were in a whole new world. While Ellen was probably the first really beloved person to come out, I think every gay person my age-ish would agree that we owe a huge debt to Harvey Milk. (Do kids today know about him? I hope they do.)
And Tammy and Sharon definitely do. Tammy especially, because her life would be in real danger if people knew she was gay (her family is very religious and they would definitely kick her out but probably also send her to conversion therapy).
It's so scary to think of how different things would be now if Anita Bryant and her kind had been more successful than they were. Even so (and this book feels very realistic and unsettling to me) there's also a very real sense of hope. It's obvious that the world is moving forward; the only real question is how long it will take. That's something I still think about. We're moving in the right direction, I think, but the progress feels so slow sometimes.
Either way, this is an amazing story and Robin Talley has written another phenomenal book. Highly recommended.
And I really loved this book so much. I was born in 1980, so this is not that much before my time, but my teenage years were so different. Ellen came out when I was in high school, and I remember watching that episode live and feeling like we were in a whole new world. While Ellen was probably the first really beloved person to come out, I think every gay person my age-ish would agree that we owe a huge debt to Harvey Milk. (Do kids today know about him? I hope they do.)
And Tammy and Sharon definitely do. Tammy especially, because her life would be in real danger if people knew she was gay (her family is very religious and they would definitely kick her out but probably also send her to conversion therapy).
It's so scary to think of how different things would be now if Anita Bryant and her kind had been more successful than they were. Even so (and this book feels very realistic and unsettling to me) there's also a very real sense of hope. It's obvious that the world is moving forward; the only real question is how long it will take. That's something I still think about. We're moving in the right direction, I think, but the progress feels so slow sometimes.
Either way, this is an amazing story and Robin Talley has written another phenomenal book. Highly recommended.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book sounded interesting to me because it was historical fiction/romance. I went into this one with high hopes and Robin Talley did not disappoint. It started out a little confusing because I needed to get use to the format. Both characters mainly write in their diary. Sharon writes in the Dear Diary format and Tammy writes into her diary to Harvey Milk. Once they start writing to one another the Dear Tammy/Sharon comes into play.
As they begin to write to each other, an unlikely friendship blossoms between the two of them. As Sharon discovers Castro Street and punk music and Tammy tries to find ways to fight back against her aunt without outing herself, the two quickly find that it takes great bravery to be yourself when people are actively working against your very existence.
Running from 1977 to 1978, Talley’s Music From Another World is an atmospheric book, steeped in rich historical world building, putting these characters right there in real life events. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
As they begin to write to each other, an unlikely friendship blossoms between the two of them. As Sharon discovers Castro Street and punk music and Tammy tries to find ways to fight back against her aunt without outing herself, the two quickly find that it takes great bravery to be yourself when people are actively working against your very existence.
Running from 1977 to 1978, Talley’s Music From Another World is an atmospheric book, steeped in rich historical world building, putting these characters right there in real life events. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review.
TW: homophobia, internalized homophobia, bullying
Tammy Larson is unable to be herself anywhere, not at school, or with her friends, or in family dominated by her aunt Mandy and her anti-gay propaganda. She is a closeted lesbian and she's always lived her life fearing for and unable to be herself and free. Her only way to escape her strict and conservative Christian life in Orange County is her diary, where she writes to the gay civil rights activist, Harvey Milk, until the school starts a pen pal program and she meets Sharon.
Sharon Hawkins lives in San Francisco and right away she bonds with Tammy, sharing their love for punk music, feeling free to be themselves, their letter another way (except their diaries) to be absolutely (or at least trying to) honest with one other. Sharon's life in San Francisco, like Tammy's in Ocean Valley, is full of secrets and lies.
She is struggling (at least in the beginning) to accept that her beloved brother, Peter, is gay and both of them are scared of their mother's possibile reaction, should she discover it.
And in antigay fervor they fear for their lives. Both Tammy and Sharon finds in one other a true friend, starting to understand things about the world and each other.
I really, absolutely loved this book! It's my first queer historical fiction and it was great! Set during a very complicated and awful time for queer people, the book is about this intense friendship (and more) between two young girls, their growth and how they will learn to fight for the freedom and right to love and stand up against injustice and hatred. Told by two POVs, Tammy's and Sharon's, through their diaries' entries and the letters they write to one other, in a very interesting and unique way, this book is moving, funny, heartbreaking and so, so important.
Reading Tammy's POV was incredibly hard because I could feel her frustration, fear, her feeling trapped in her life, with conservative parents and relatives, homophobes, feeling scared all the time someone could see through her lies and hurt her. How she was forced to dress and wear her hair in a certain way, dominated by her cruel and hypocrite aunt and her whole community, politically active in their antigay propaganda, how she was forced to support that propaganda, because being out would mean changing everything.
Both Tammy and Sharon were taught to see being gay as a wrong and unnatural thing, something that should be corrected and pray away, but, Sharon thanks to her brother and Tammy thanks to her sexuality and feelings, learn to think with their own heads and to escape their conservative and homophobic world, finding a more friendly reality where they can be themselves.
It was interesting reading how Sharon starts to discover herself, through music shows, new friendships, opening her mind to a new world and identity.
Her bond with Peter is truly amazing and very realistic, down to their fights and misunderstandings. Reading about how she discovered her sexuality, her feelings was really fantastic, because, living in a community where people were antigay, in a school with nuns and homophobes, she, at first, struggle to accept her brother's sexuality (it was incredibly cute readig how she decided to accept it, because she loves her brother very much) and then hers. It was clear her confusion and frustration, finding difficult to understand what she should do or act.
Her relationship with Tammy is really intense, because, through their letters, they learn to be and questioning themselves, above all when Tammy comes to San Francisco.
Peter is another brilliant character. Seeing through Sharon's and Tammy's eyes, he's a young man, sure of his sexuality, but fearing his mother's reaction, fearing people would know the truth about him and hurt, since he was already bullied in the past. It was moving and empowering reading how, slowly, Peter becomes more sure of himself and his feeling for Dean, until he's ready to move on and coming out, deciding to live according to his own rules, terms and feelings.
Absolutely intriguing the way the political and historical movement is both background and vital part of this book, how Tammy sees in Harvey Milk someone to look up to to gather the courage she needs to be herself.
I loved how Tammy, Peter and Sharon become politically involved, supporting Harvey Milk, propaganding against the Proposition 6, the Briggs Iniatiative, that wanted to ban gay teacher and whoever supported gay rights, helping in the bookstore, learning about civil rights and feminism. It was interesting reading about political and historical figures, like Milk, Briggs and Bryant and how these young characters act in that movement. Cute the side characters, like Evelyn, Midge, Kevin and so on. Interesting and hypocritical aunt Mandy, with her being sanctimonious and weak and unable to reach out and change her opinion Sharon's and Peter's mother.
The adults in this novel fulfill, except Harvey Milk, the role of "villains". Sanctimonious and hypocritical families, ready to do anything to have their perfect sons and daughters and refusing to see them for what they are, should they be different from their expectations and society's "norm".
Teenagers and young adults (Tammy's friends and sisters, for example or Sharon's classmates) are or molded according to their parents', Church's and society's wishes and norms, or they represent a world where Tammy, Peter and Sharon can find haven, in Dean's, Leonard's, Evelyn's, Alex's (and so on) friendship and support. I love how they managed to form a family, with their friends, how they support one other, helping each other finding a place to stay, a job, a way to start over, even with a broken heart.
It was hard to read how their families couldn't, wouldn't, accept their sexuality, how they, above all aunt Mandy, kept using God as an excuse of their awful behaviour. It shows the faults in the blind religion, using their Bible as a weapon to hurt and humiliate queer people. It was frustrating reading their rhetorics and false and hypocritical faith.
Tammy and Sharon fight against what people expected to be and to do, perfect daughters, straights daughters with boyfriends and a future with a family. In a climate of activism, for LGBT's and women's rights, they fights and understand themselves, their feelings and what people call friends and family.
Music from another world is beautifully and skillfully written and it's a story about love and hope, hate and injustice, family and friendship and it's more current than ever.
The review will be posted on Lu's book on 31 March.
TW: homophobia, internalized homophobia, bullying
Tammy Larson is unable to be herself anywhere, not at school, or with her friends, or in family dominated by her aunt Mandy and her anti-gay propaganda. She is a closeted lesbian and she's always lived her life fearing for and unable to be herself and free. Her only way to escape her strict and conservative Christian life in Orange County is her diary, where she writes to the gay civil rights activist, Harvey Milk, until the school starts a pen pal program and she meets Sharon.
Sharon Hawkins lives in San Francisco and right away she bonds with Tammy, sharing their love for punk music, feeling free to be themselves, their letter another way (except their diaries) to be absolutely (or at least trying to) honest with one other. Sharon's life in San Francisco, like Tammy's in Ocean Valley, is full of secrets and lies.
She is struggling (at least in the beginning) to accept that her beloved brother, Peter, is gay and both of them are scared of their mother's possibile reaction, should she discover it.
And in antigay fervor they fear for their lives. Both Tammy and Sharon finds in one other a true friend, starting to understand things about the world and each other.
I really, absolutely loved this book! It's my first queer historical fiction and it was great! Set during a very complicated and awful time for queer people, the book is about this intense friendship (and more) between two young girls, their growth and how they will learn to fight for the freedom and right to love and stand up against injustice and hatred. Told by two POVs, Tammy's and Sharon's, through their diaries' entries and the letters they write to one other, in a very interesting and unique way, this book is moving, funny, heartbreaking and so, so important.
Reading Tammy's POV was incredibly hard because I could feel her frustration, fear, her feeling trapped in her life, with conservative parents and relatives, homophobes, feeling scared all the time someone could see through her lies and hurt her. How she was forced to dress and wear her hair in a certain way, dominated by her cruel and hypocrite aunt and her whole community, politically active in their antigay propaganda, how she was forced to support that propaganda, because being out would mean changing everything.
Both Tammy and Sharon were taught to see being gay as a wrong and unnatural thing, something that should be corrected and pray away, but, Sharon thanks to her brother and Tammy thanks to her sexuality and feelings, learn to think with their own heads and to escape their conservative and homophobic world, finding a more friendly reality where they can be themselves.
It was interesting reading how Sharon starts to discover herself, through music shows, new friendships, opening her mind to a new world and identity.
Her bond with Peter is truly amazing and very realistic, down to their fights and misunderstandings. Reading about how she discovered her sexuality, her feelings was really fantastic, because, living in a community where people were antigay, in a school with nuns and homophobes, she, at first, struggle to accept her brother's sexuality (it was incredibly cute readig how she decided to accept it, because she loves her brother very much) and then hers. It was clear her confusion and frustration, finding difficult to understand what she should do or act.
Her relationship with Tammy is really intense, because, through their letters, they learn to be and questioning themselves, above all when Tammy comes to San Francisco.
Peter is another brilliant character. Seeing through Sharon's and Tammy's eyes, he's a young man, sure of his sexuality, but fearing his mother's reaction, fearing people would know the truth about him and hurt, since he was already bullied in the past. It was moving and empowering reading how, slowly, Peter becomes more sure of himself and his feeling for Dean, until he's ready to move on and coming out, deciding to live according to his own rules, terms and feelings.
Absolutely intriguing the way the political and historical movement is both background and vital part of this book, how Tammy sees in Harvey Milk someone to look up to to gather the courage she needs to be herself.
I loved how Tammy, Peter and Sharon become politically involved, supporting Harvey Milk, propaganding against the Proposition 6, the Briggs Iniatiative, that wanted to ban gay teacher and whoever supported gay rights, helping in the bookstore, learning about civil rights and feminism. It was interesting reading about political and historical figures, like Milk, Briggs and Bryant and how these young characters act in that movement. Cute the side characters, like Evelyn, Midge, Kevin and so on. Interesting and hypocritical aunt Mandy, with her being sanctimonious and weak and unable to reach out and change her opinion Sharon's and Peter's mother.
The adults in this novel fulfill, except Harvey Milk, the role of "villains". Sanctimonious and hypocritical families, ready to do anything to have their perfect sons and daughters and refusing to see them for what they are, should they be different from their expectations and society's "norm".
Teenagers and young adults (Tammy's friends and sisters, for example or Sharon's classmates) are or molded according to their parents', Church's and society's wishes and norms, or they represent a world where Tammy, Peter and Sharon can find haven, in Dean's, Leonard's, Evelyn's, Alex's (and so on) friendship and support. I love how they managed to form a family, with their friends, how they support one other, helping each other finding a place to stay, a job, a way to start over, even with a broken heart.
It was hard to read how their families couldn't, wouldn't, accept their sexuality, how they, above all aunt Mandy, kept using God as an excuse of their awful behaviour. It shows the faults in the blind religion, using their Bible as a weapon to hurt and humiliate queer people. It was frustrating reading their rhetorics and false and hypocritical faith.
Tammy and Sharon fight against what people expected to be and to do, perfect daughters, straights daughters with boyfriends and a future with a family. In a climate of activism, for LGBT's and women's rights, they fights and understand themselves, their feelings and what people call friends and family.
Music from another world is beautifully and skillfully written and it's a story about love and hope, hate and injustice, family and friendship and it's more current than ever.
The review will be posted on Lu's book on 31 March.
2.5 rounded down. I think it might be time to admit that Robin Talley is just not really for me. The plot is fine, I guess, though really a bit obvious throughout. I appreciate the history there, which I think is particularly important to young queer folx. I didn't learn a lot of this history until I was in college and taking queer and gender studies classes. The problem I have with Talley is that her characters are flat. I cannot tell you a single thing that Sharon is interested in other than she likes punk music. In fact, closeted queer punk fan is basically Tammy's same personality but also she does art. These characters do not feel real. The minor characters seem to be no more than puppets on the page to come in and out as the author pleases. The characters, all, are so shallow that if I tripped and fell face first into them I wouldn't drown.
Actual rating: 3.75/5
This was a cute, quick read about LGBT rights and struggles, set in the 1970's.
I don't really like historical fiction (I know the 70's wasn't THAT far away, but it was technically last century AND last millennium...sooo....) but this was really good, and also a time in history that was incredibly important and liberating for the LGBT community, especially in America.
The characters were likable, and I was with them all the way. The writing was emotional where it needed to be and it had a solid flow all the way through.
I took some stars off because it got a *touch* too repetitive at times and it was a bit predictable in the way that makes you wanna shout "we know, just get on with it!" at the characters.
But all in all, a really cute, sweet read.
This was a cute, quick read about LGBT rights and struggles, set in the 1970's.
I don't really like historical fiction (I know the 70's wasn't THAT far away, but it was technically last century AND last millennium...sooo....) but this was really good, and also a time in history that was incredibly important and liberating for the LGBT community, especially in America.
The characters were likable, and I was with them all the way. The writing was emotional where it needed to be and it had a solid flow all the way through.
I took some stars off because it got a *touch* too repetitive at times and it was a bit predictable in the way that makes you wanna shout "we know, just get on with it!" at the characters.
But all in all, a really cute, sweet read.
I got an ARC of this through netgalley.
Music From Another World is also f/f YA, but historical - it's set in the 70s ('77-'78) and is an epistolary slash diary entry novel. The two main characters, Tammy and Sharon, come from very Christian backgrounds in California and are paired together in a pen pal scheme between their two (Christian) schools. They write diary entries and letters to each other - Tammy is gay, Sharon realises over the course of the novel that she's bisexual, they fall in love and end up together.
I really, really liked it! It was a fast read (I read it in 4 hours, YMMV, but I wouldn't say a light read), I liked the characters, their struggles and all the history that came with the setting. I researched feminist/lesbian bookshops for a paper last term and I was very pleased to see Sharon get involved with that environment and have it represented so faithfully. The book is set at a very tumultuous time for gay rights in the US, with a strong focus on Harvey Milk (Tammy's diary entries are addressed to him, actually). There's history there I didn't know simply because I didn't grow up with it (I'm much more familiar with queer history in Scandinavia) and I also haven't gotten round to watching the Harvey Milk movie...I've been putting it off because Sean Penn. I really got the feeling, reading this book, that it was contemporary - it seemed so well researched and the way Sharon and Tammy talked about their feelings and fears and hopes and desires, set against the backdrop of 70s queer, punk and feminist movements, it just made it all...very real. I liked it. There are messy and complicated feelings and relationships in this book (Sharon's big brother is gay and is the reason she got into the feminist environment - more specifically because she didn't want to be the only girl on Castro Street in San Francisco where her brother was hanging out with other gay men, so drifted towards the lesbian area instead....) As for content warnings, well, neither of their families take it very well that they're queer and there's reference to pray the gay away camps.
The one thing I didn't like about the book is how it was supposed to be letters and diary entries, but the way these girls composed their diary entries they read like prose with dialogue tags and descriptions and all. It felt like a cop-out to be honest - if the author felt she couldn't get the story across without 'regular' prose, why package it as diary entries? The girls did have distinctive voices and wrote their diary entries and letters very differently, but I just...the diary aspect of the diary entries was not believable to me and it kept throwing me out of the book.
The book comes out at the end of May and I do recommend it. It's YA, but it didn't actually read like YA aside from the ages of the protagonists - I love YA, don't get me wrong, but I get tired of the 'dumbing down' some YA books do, and this wasn't that at all.
Music From Another World is also f/f YA, but historical - it's set in the 70s ('77-'78) and is an epistolary slash diary entry novel. The two main characters, Tammy and Sharon, come from very Christian backgrounds in California and are paired together in a pen pal scheme between their two (Christian) schools. They write diary entries and letters to each other - Tammy is gay, Sharon realises over the course of the novel that she's bisexual, they fall in love and end up together.
I really, really liked it! It was a fast read (I read it in 4 hours, YMMV, but I wouldn't say a light read), I liked the characters, their struggles and all the history that came with the setting. I researched feminist/lesbian bookshops for a paper last term and I was very pleased to see Sharon get involved with that environment and have it represented so faithfully. The book is set at a very tumultuous time for gay rights in the US, with a strong focus on Harvey Milk (Tammy's diary entries are addressed to him, actually). There's history there I didn't know simply because I didn't grow up with it (I'm much more familiar with queer history in Scandinavia) and I also haven't gotten round to watching the Harvey Milk movie...I've been putting it off because Sean Penn. I really got the feeling, reading this book, that it was contemporary - it seemed so well researched and the way Sharon and Tammy talked about their feelings and fears and hopes and desires, set against the backdrop of 70s queer, punk and feminist movements, it just made it all...very real. I liked it. There are messy and complicated feelings and relationships in this book (Sharon's big brother is gay and is the reason she got into the feminist environment - more specifically because she didn't want to be the only girl on Castro Street in San Francisco where her brother was hanging out with other gay men, so drifted towards the lesbian area instead....) As for content warnings, well, neither of their families take it very well that they're queer and there's reference to pray the gay away camps.
The one thing I didn't like about the book is how it was supposed to be letters and diary entries, but the way these girls composed their diary entries they read like prose with dialogue tags and descriptions and all. It felt like a cop-out to be honest - if the author felt she couldn't get the story across without 'regular' prose, why package it as diary entries? The girls did have distinctive voices and wrote their diary entries and letters very differently, but I just...the diary aspect of the diary entries was not believable to me and it kept throwing me out of the book.
The book comes out at the end of May and I do recommend it. It's YA, but it didn't actually read like YA aside from the ages of the protagonists - I love YA, don't get me wrong, but I get tired of the 'dumbing down' some YA books do, and this wasn't that at all.