Wow! When I first got this book, I was just curious as to who all was listed. It was a great read. I learned a lot of new things and about new people that I wasn't sure which way they leaned. It was a very entertaining read. ( )

Wow! When I first got this book, I was just curious as to who all was listed. It was a great read. I learned a lot of new things and about new people that I wasn't sure which way they leaned. It was a very entertaining read. ( )

I had a hard time with this book mostly because I had a hard time with Boze Hadleigh's insensitive interviewing style. It seemed that Mr Hadleigh began each interview with an agenda. He wanted each woman to publicly come out since he felt that they had nothing left to lose. When there was resistance he pushed and pushed. He did the same when they did not want to disclose information about their families and other Hollywood stars that they were close to or if they did follow his agenda in each meeting. Many of them hung up on him and/or told him to leave. It felt really disrespectful and given his age (which is close to mine) he probably does not have a gut sense of what it was like to be a lesbian in an earlier era and the risks inherent in it. I I felt that he never really deeply listened to them and I found him rude. he also has dated notions about gender and what it means to be masculine or feminine and never questions what these categories even mean.

At times I enjoyed the book too. It left me with deep respect for these formidable women who managed complicated professional and personal lives despite the risks. Just that fact alone made it worth it to read this deeply flawed book. ( )