Robin Talley

An original and sharp book about desegregation in Virgina in 1959, and two young women whose lives are changing because of it.
The main characters, Sarah and Lydia, two bright young women who were engaging main characters. They both have strong opinions and are talented, and I think they were fleshed out well.
The main thing about "Lies We Tell Ourselves" that I didn't understand was the romance. It was barely a step above 'insta love', and the characters fell for each other surprisingly rapidly. I just don't see how it happened, especially so quickly.
I definitely think it could have been much shorter. For a 400 page book I think quite a few of the scenes were dragged out, and there was far too much internal dialogue. There are stretches of text where characters will internally ask themselves questions and lay out situations, seemingly for the benefit of the reader, but it was a bit too much. I strongly believe Talley's ideas would have been more strongly emphasized if this book was more concise.
I think this is an interesting book, and well-researched! Personally, I just didn't connect with it fully, and believe it could be better if it was shorter.… (more)

This is probably one of the best YA/Teen novels I’ve read in a long time. The story is told in two timelines, which allowed for the story of 1950s pulp to be put into context for a modern teen audience. However, I found myself losing interest in the 2017 characters, often wanting to get back to the 1955 timeline. It comes together in the end though, and I think I would have related more to it if I was in the target demographic, so I can’t fault it. Also, I learned something new about the “In God We Trust” Bill, so it gets bonus points. I really want to read some more pulp lesbian authors now.… (more)