Girls, Visions and Everything

This is very much like Michelle Tea's _Valencia_ ...only instead of San Francisco Mission dykes in the 90's you get New York City Lower East Side dykes in the 80's. Frankly, I wasn't expecting much from this book - I got it for free at a book party (I was dating a writer at the time) and it sat collecting dust on my "in case of bookless desperation" shelf for almost two years. And it's excellent. Not just for lesbians hungry for other lesbian stories but for anyone who wants to know what life was like for that particular subculture/place/time. It feels very real, and is probably more interesting in 2008 than when it was written. I only gave it 4 stars because I'm saving 5 stars for truly exceptional. This book is probably not going to show more change your life. But it's a great book to have in your purse for commuting: interesting, absorbing, and easy to put down and pick up show less

not Schulman's best book, but it shows her excellent ear for dialogue early on