Comment by Amazon reader:  I think what's refreshing is this could have easily been just another sleazoid book or a "Ha ha, look what I got you on your wedding night!" party gift. Instead it's an informative, smart, emotionally evolved, well-designed, entertaining and humorous "how-to" guide.

If only they would have stuff like this in schools, people wouldn't be so messed up about sex and sexual attitudes.

Editorial Reveiw:  A largely unexplored area, this is an innovative and original examination of bisexual spaces as places that are defined by both geographical boundaries and cultural significance. Hemmings applies the ideas of queer theory as well as social and cultural geography in her fascinating investigation into the spaces and places of bisexual life. Specifically focusing on Northhampton, MA and San Francisco, she draws on interviews with community members and the town histories showing how and why they have developed into safe places for the gay, lesbian, and bisexual communities. By mapping out a space of bisexuality, Bisexual Spaces provides a new and provocative understanding of the concept.

Comment by Amazon reader:   This book is now a cornerstone of my library. Garber breaksdown Bisexuality just as Susan Faludi previously made feminism accessible through Backlash. This work is definately in the top 10. It is fun yet profound. Though an avid reader, I found at times the content was so heavy that I would put space between me and the book for awhile. But do not dismay. This distance was only needed because, being an acknowledged bisexual myself, the words slammed right home. I found one of the most helpful aspects of the book was the diverse lenses that Garber approached the subject through. Now, when I find myself reading other related books or coming in contact with related controversies, I have a wide range of information and perspective to draw on that Garber provides. Her dynamic & astonishing research is coupled with a great attitude & laid back voice.

Editorial Comment:  Eighteen interviews with bisexual women reveal a vast range of backgrounds and adult experiences, from childhoods in urban settings to youth spent on a southern Virginia farm, from a woman currently married and monogamous as well as not very sexual to one who is now nonmonogamous with both a woman and a man. "Susan," age 43 and an incest survivor, regards her bisexual activities as reflecting her need to please and be praised for being "hot." Radical feminist political organizer "Lani" ponders the philosophy of lesbian separatism and the hurt she endured because of it. HIV-positive "Mary" had been in an open relationship with a man, and both enjoyed going to parties and "playing" before learning of his HIV status (when interviewed, her health was failing, but an epilogue reveals that later her viral load diminished). Along with the interviews come safer-sex guidelines and a bisexual resource list, which round the book out as a valuable resource for collections strong in sexuality issues and women's studies. Whitney Scott

Comment by Amazon Reader:  In 13 years some of the 75 pieces in this collection may seem a bit dated, or perhaps I just hope that there are more resources and more acceptance for bisexuals. The book is divided into four main sections that focus on a particular concern for bisexuals: coming-out; personal stories; community; and politics. Finally there is a history of bisexual activism in the USA. Most of the pieces are essays of a fairly personal nature but there are a few interviews, some poetry, and some visuals; there are even some non-bisexuals writing about their friends and family who have come out to them.
 

Review from Google:  When limitations are removed from loving (and from lovemaking), new worlds of possibility are opened! This book presents insiders' viewpoints on how bisexuals and polyamorous people (those who have more than one partner at a time) live--and love. Readers will enjoy the insider perspectives from members of bi/poly groups, explore the concept of polyamorous living as a form of spiritual (tantric) expression, and investigate the portrayal of polyamory in American and foreign films, including When Two Won't Do, Y tu mama tambien, Something for Everyone, and French Twist. There's even an insightful chapter by well-known feminist/sex activist Betty Dodson.

Comment by Amazon Reader:  The book presents a good overview of some bisexuals' development, choices, and common experiences as they continue to examine the definition of themselves and their relationships.

This is a readable volume on data gathered from bisexual subjects. There is not much in the way of proving assertions; rather, data is presented and the various researchers make general observations.

Ronald Fox's expansive booklist on bisexuality and related topics, which is listed in the back of this book, is worth the purchase price.

Highlights I enjoyed: "The participants who chose non-monogamous relationship (25%) had an especially dificult time with the cultural bias against non-monogamy, which was described as an issue even more difficult and taboo than bisexuality."

"It's very stressful when being true to yourself means challenging the culture," "You're only a second class citizen," and "I haven't ever had a strong sense of community anywhere" were comments made by bisexuals.
 

Comment by Amazon Reader:  Heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality - after you have worked your way through this book you will have gained a better understanding of our sexualities, no matter which! - Personally I found the contributions of the editors, R. Gindorf and E. J. Haeberle, particularly inspiring.
 

Publisher's Review:  Bisexual Women in the Twenty-First Century reflects the "brave new world" of bisexual women's lives through an eclectic collection of articles that typifies an ongoing feminist process of theory grounded in life experience. The book's broad scope addresses a "world" created in response to lesbian-feminism, homophobia within the mainstream women's movement, and sexism within the gay rights movement.

Editorial Review:  Women and Bisexuality: A Global Perspective reflects the growing contribution bisexuals, and especially bisexual women, make to queer culture on an international level. This unique book presents a collection of thoughtful essays, studies, and reviews that combine to help develop a language that reflects the reality of bisexuality from a feminine/feminist viewpoint. Authors map the inroads made by bisexual studies into conventional disciplines, including anthropology, sociology, health, literature, film, history, and biography, and analyze the situations of bisexual women in areas as diverse as France, North America, Germany, Australia, and Africa.

The rich and varied contributions to Women and Bisexuality: A Global Perspective track the spread of bisexuality from the urban and metropolitan centers of gay culture to more peripheral areas as the movement becomes more and more hospitable to transnational and transcultural people. The book's main themes—bisexuality's ability to disrupt categories and the resulting feeling of alienation many bisexuals experience—are manifested in approaches that include critical theory, deconstruction, textual analysis, cognitive psychology, personal essay, review essay, reportage, and qualitative study.

Editorial Review:  Fingersmith is the third slice of engrossing lesbian Victoriana from Sarah Waters. Although lighter and more melodramatic in tone than its predecessor, Affinity, this hypnotic suspense novel is awash with all manner of gloomy Dickensian leitmotifs: pickpockets, orphans, grim prisons, lunatic asylums, "laughing villains," and, of course, "stolen fortunes and girls made out to be mad." Divided into three parts, the tale is narrated by two orphaned girls whose lives are inextricably linked. Waters's penchant for byzantine plotting can get a bit exhausting, but even at its densest moments--and remember, this is smoggy London circa 1862--it remains mesmerizing. A damning critique of Victorian moral and sexual hypocrisy, a gripping melodrama, and a love story to boot, this book ingeniously reworks some truly classic themes.

Editorial Review:  A landmark volume in the field, Bisexuality presents a state-of-the-art glimpse of what is known and what remains to be known about bisexuality. Editor Beth A. Firestein gathers together an impressive group of researchers, activists, educators, theorists, and clinicians to offer insight into this understudied sexual orientation. Written in a scholarly but accessible style, this noteworthy collection of essays provides a focused, comprehensive introduction to research, theory, and practical clinical knowledge about bisexuality. The contributors agree that, given recognition and validity, the study of bisexuality can extend what we know about sexual orientation and sexual identity as well as shed light on previously unexplored aspects of sexuality. This insightful volume explicates the emergence of bisexuality as a phenomenon requiring a paradigm shift in sexual-orientation studies and discusses the implications of this shift. Bisexuality makes accurate, high-quality information about the subject available to professionals and students in lesbian/gay studies, gender studies, sociology, family studies, and human sexuality. The book also brings current clinical perspectives together in a user-friendly volume for practitioners in social work and clinical/counseling psychology.

Copyright © 2006 Bisexual Women in Australia
Last modified: 10/07/06