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Loading... Skin: Talking About Sex, Class & Literature (1994)| 597 | None | 39,565 | 
(4.3) | 6 | A collection of critical essays from award-winning author Dorothy Allison about identity, gender politics, and queer theory, now with a new preface Lambda Award and American Library Association's Stonewall Book Award-winning author Dorothy Allison is known for her bold and insightful writing on issues of class and sexuality. In Skin, she approaches these topics through twenty-three impassioned essays that explore her identity--from her childhood in a poor family in South Carolina to her adult life as a lesbian in the suburbs of New York--and her sexuality. In "Gun Crazy," Allison delves into what guns meant to the men and women around her when she was growing up. She gives insight into the importance of speaking professionally about sexuality in "Talking to Straight People," and articulates the danger women feel about revealing their personal desires, even within feminist communities, in "Public Silence, Private Terror." Allison is fearless in her discussion of many social and political taboos. Compelling and raw, Skin is an honest and intimate work--perfect for Dorothy Allison fans and new readers alike.… (more) |
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For the women of my family  | |
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One summer, almost ten years ago, I brought my lover down to Greenville to visit my aunt Dog and the rest of my mama's family. We took our time getting there, spending one day in D.C. and another in Durham. I even thought about suggesting a side trip over to the Smoky Mountains, until I realized the reason I was thinking about that was that I was afraid. | |
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The horror of class stratification, racism, and prejudice is that some people begin to believe that the security of their families and communities depends on the oppression of others, that for some to have good lives there must be others whose lives are truncated and brutal. It is a belief that dominates this culture. It is what makes the poor whites of the South so determinedly racist and the middle class so contemptuous of the poor. It is a myth that allows some to imagine that they build their lives on the ruin of others, a secret core of shame for the middle class, a goad and a spur to the marginal working class, and cause enough for the homeless and poor to feel no constraints on hatred or violence. | |
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When my son runs down the hill through the trees, shouting for Mama and laughing as freely as only a baby can laugh, I cup my hands in stubborn hopefulness, making to him the promise my mama could never keep to me. I will make this place safe for him, bring him back to this landscape throughout his life, this wild country of beauty and hope and mystery. Each time he calls for me from those trees in the dusk, I promise again. Each time praying I can keep my promise. (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.) | |
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▾References References to this work on external resources.  Wikipedia in English (1)
▾Book descriptions A collection of critical essays from award-winning author Dorothy Allison about identity, gender politics, and queer theory, now with a new preface Lambda Award and American Library Association's Stonewall Book Award-winning author Dorothy Allison is known for her bold and insightful writing on issues of class and sexuality. In Skin, she approaches these topics through twenty-three impassioned essays that explore her identity--from her childhood in a poor family in South Carolina to her adult life as a lesbian in the suburbs of New York--and her sexuality. In "Gun Crazy," Allison delves into what guns meant to the men and women around her when she was growing up. She gives insight into the importance of speaking professionally about sexuality in "Talking to Straight People," and articulates the danger women feel about revealing their personal desires, even within feminist communities, in "Public Silence, Private Terror." Allison is fearless in her discussion of many social and political taboos. Compelling and raw, Skin is an honest and intimate work--perfect for Dorothy Allison fans and new readers alike. ▾Library descriptions No library descriptions found. ▾LibraryThing members' description |
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