Natalia Siebu Siebu من عند Gunawata, Rajasthan, الهند من عند Gunawata, Rajasthan, الهند

This book reads the way the saddest, old-time country and blues songs sound, just like the title suggests. Certainly a book far ahead of its time in its unravelling of the complex gender dynamics involved in butch-femme lesbian culture, the interaction between class and sexuality, and the ambiguities of transgendered identity. At heart this book is an extended love story with extremely moving passages describing the strong women in her life and the intense loneliness that any outsider understands.

A very well-written portrait of a couple affected by the internment of U.S. Citizens of Japanese descent during WWII. Moving back and forth between the 40s and the 80s, the book is simply a good story. It never seems contrived and could be the true story of thousands affected by being relocated. I live 13 miles from the Heart Mountain Relocation camp, between Cody and Powell Wyoming. A barren wasteland where the second largest city in Wyoming existed during the war years. Fortunately, a group of individuals are creating an education center and museum at the camp. If you are interested please check out their website, www.HeartMountain.org. I revised my review recently. Although the anachronisms in the book didn't really detract from the story, because they didn't register with me at the time, the more I dwell on them, the more I think a careful edit should have been done to ensure this book was as accurate as possible.