sunny thoughts | Stone Butch Blues: A Novel

Stone Butch Blues: A Novel

Leslie Feinberg

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Published in 1993, this brave, original novel is considered to be the finest account ever written of the complexities of a transgendered existence.

Woman or man? That’s the question that rages like a storm around Jess Goldberg, clouding her life and her identity. Growing up differently gendered in a blue-collar town in the 1950s, coming out as a butch in the bars and factories of the prefeminist ’60s, deciding to pass as a man in order to survive when she is left without work or a community in the early ’70s.

This powerful, provocative and deeply moving novel sees Jess coming full circle; she learns to accept the complexities of being a transgendered person in a world demanding simple explanations: a he-she emerging whole, weathering the turbulence.

Leslie Feinberg is also the author of Trans Liberation, Trans Gender Warriors and Transgender Liberation, and is a noted activist and speaker on transgender issues.

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Posts about this title from sunny thoughts

sunny thoughts\ \ Sunny\ \ • Jan 15 2024

ranking my favorite books & honorable mentions of 2023

fave books part 1: https://youtu.be/bBZEuSYjIvk?si=l7TzM6mGsmboebYK

fave books part 2: https://youtu.be/QsX2jOKMs-Y?si=thWJ2x43tyu9i\_03

Renaissance's review of Dykette: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5749008545?book\_show\_action=false

my review of post-traumatic in comparison to another book about trauma: https://open.substack.com/pub/thelavendermenace/p/3-women-writers-3-book-reviews?utm\_campaign=post&utm\_medium=web

The Lavender Menace podcast episode wrapping up 2023 media: upcoming Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KoWHeYT8M0svZhvTsOUgt?si=LzGU-55zSOmbanf7-vlTMg&dl\_branch=1 Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/agmaoiRQRy?amp=1 Patreon, for exclusive bonus episodes & early access: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace

The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ujU1cXx4eZV7njNXIYokmO-bDei84tfn/view?usp=sharing

Timestamps: 00:00-02:47 intro 02:47-03:53 #16 03:53-04:33 #15 04:33-05:53 #14 05:53-07:06 #13 07:06-08:59 #12 08:59-10:18 #11 10:18-11:55 #10 11:55-13:17 #9 13:17-14:24 #8 14:24-15:42 #7 15:42-17:29 #6 17:29-19:10 #5 19:10-21:18 #4 21:18-23:10 #3 23:10-25:10 #1 & #2 25:10-26:50 lesbian 2023 reflections 26:50-35:00 honorable mentions

25 books

sunny thoughts\ \ Sunny\ \ • Dec 31 2023

favorite books I've read in 2023

lesbian non-fiction & lit-fic & fantasy reads I've loved in the past year!! Please ignore the fact that I’m wearing pajama pants in this video

Timestamps: 0:00-1:30 intro. 1:30-4:10 The Persistent Desire, a Femme-Butch Reader. Edited by Joan Nestle 4:10-08:11 Stone Butch Blues. Leslie Feinberg 08:11-10:25 Knocking Myself Up: A Memoir of My (In)fertility. Michelle Tea 10:25-15:17 Things To Do When You’re Goth in The Country. Chavisa Woods 15:17-20:48 Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal. Christopher Moore 20:48-23:25 The Very Nice Box. Laura Blackett, Eve Gleischman 23:25-26:32 Tress of The Emerald Sea. Brandon Sanderson 26:32-29:40 Dykette. Jenny Fran Davis 29:40-35:01 Black Wave. Michelle Tea 35:01-37:47 Post-traumatic. Chantal V. Johnson 37:47-38:41 part 2 is coming…

Find me: Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/asunnybooknook (I don't update my Storygraph profile, sorry!! only upload my goodreads data there once a year for data purposes :( too hard to keep up with 2 tracking apps and I'm more familiar with Goodreads at this point) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/asunnybooknook My Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sunnyinstlouis Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/asunnybooknook Business contact - asunnybooknook @ gmail dot com

🍑🍊🕊🌸🍓🍒🍇 Listen to me and my best friend's lesbian comedy media & pop culture commentary podcast, The Lavender Menace! Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KoWHeYT8M0svZhvTsOUgt?si=LzGU-55zSOmbanf7-vlTMg&dl\_branch=1 Apple Podcasts: https://t.co/agmaoiRQRy?amp=1 Patreon, for exclusive bonus episodes & early access: https://www.patreon.com/TheLavenderMenace

Us, elsewhere: Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheLavenderPod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thelavendermenacepod/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiuLKSL75Tcd5Zu7DMnC5vQ Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/thelavenderpod Substack - https://thelavendermenace.substack.com/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thelavendermenacepod?\_t=8V5Ee2joahq&\_r=1

10 books

sunny thoughts\ \ Sunny\ \ • Aug 17 2023

Excellent non-fiction I've read in 2022-2023, socialist/feminist/queer theory & history

very very delayed part 2 to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osVojFao4kQ&t=46s

2022 non-fiction: Blackshirts and reds, Michael parenti Abolition feminism now Caliban and the witch, Silvia Federici Lesbian choices We do this til we free us, Mariame kaba Women’s liberation and the African freedom struggle, Thomas Snkara One is not born a woman, Monique wittig Right-wing women, Andrea Dworkin Female husbands, Jen manion Hammer and hoe, robin DG Kelley Capitalist realism, mark fisher The society of the spectacle, Guy DeBord The incorporation of America, Alan Trachtenberg Witches witch-hunting and women, Sylvia Federici America in the gilded age, Cashman

2023 non-fiction: Bad gays Socialist realism, Trisha Low The persistent desire A queer history of the US Zami, Audre Lorde Separate and dominate Stone butch blues The transgender issue You just need to lose weight

00:27 part 1 nonfiction 26:47 reading vlog - socialist realism 30:51 nonfiction November

Find me: Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/asunnybooknook (I don't update my Storygraph profile, sorry!! only upload my goodreads data there once a year for data purposes :( too hard to keep up with 2 tracking apps and I'm more familiar with Goodreads at this point) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sunnyboxhouse My Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sunnyinstlouis/ Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/asunnybooknook Business contact - asunnybooknook @ gmail dot com

19 books

sunny thoughts\ \ Sunny\ \ • Jul 11 2023

mid-year book freakout tag

checking in on my 2023 reading with the classic Booktube tag! featuring bookshop.org #sponsored for Anti-Prime day. Get free shipping today on July 12th and a tote bag if you spend over $100, all while supporting independent bookstores!! Also, I forgot to answer Kayla’s second tag question but here are my Booktube faves: @mynameismarines for her critical reviews of booktok darlings, @caricanread for her wholistic vlogs and recaps of things I will never read, and @rinceyreads for her thoughtful reviews.

(another disclaimer-- I meant to get this video up yesterday but like it's fine! lol)

My letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/sunnyinstlouis/

Find me: Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/asunnybooknook (I don't update my Storygraph profile, sorry!! only upload my goodreads data there once a year for data purposes :( too hard to keep up with 2 tracking apps and I'm more familiar with Goodreads at this point) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sunnyboxhouse Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/asunnybooknook Business contact - asunnybooknook@gmail.com

Us, elsewhere: Twitter - https://twitter.com/TheLavenderPod Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thelavendermenacepod/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiuLKSL75Tcd5Zu7DMnC5vQ Letterboxd - https://letterboxd.com/thelavenderpod/ Substack - https://thelavendermenace.substack.com/ Tik Tok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thelavendermenacepod?\_t=8V5Ee2joahq&\_r=1

11 books

sunny thoughts\ \ Sunny\ \ • Jun 30 2023

Massive reading wrap up

too tired to do timestamps for all of these books but I read a lot of really good ones early this year! hope you enjoy this very belated wrap up

50 books

sunny thoughts\ \ Sunny\ \ • Jan 29 2023

tackling my physical TBR: reading vlog #1 of 2023

my January of reading books on my TBR shelf before I leave for Boston!!

Find me: Goodreads - https://www.goodreads.com/asunnybooknook Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/asunnybooknook Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/asunnybooknook Business email - asunnybooknook@gmail.com

11 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

Wanderland Reads\ \ Sayer\ \ • Dec 12 2025

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Identity exploration and normal variability deserve better marketing. Why do so many people expect identity to arrive fully formed, laminated, and unchanged or like with a flashing neon sign that gives you the answer. If only it was that easy, I'd be out of a job.\ \ Identity, for many people can often be fluid across years because development responds to context. Research in developmental psychology shows identity formation continues across adulthood, not only during adolescence. Stay with my because I'm about to nerd out for a second, Erikson described identity as an ongoing task across the lifespan. Later researchers expanded this view. Kroger and Marcia (more dead psychology researchers) tracked identity statuses across decades and found shifts tied to relationships, work roles, parenting, loss, and social pressure. Longitudinal studies show stability in core values alongside movement in expression, labels, and priorities.\ \ Society sells a story promising "one big self discovery" moment. Cue montage music and some 90s mega movie stars in dressing rooms. Real life looks closer to repeated software updates. Some updates fix bugs. Others introduce new ones. No release notes included.\ \ Think about it like the kids you went to high school with who knew what they wanted to do with their life, went to college for exactly that, and now 25 years later are doing the same (my brother and sister actually...for sure not me) And there are people like me who tried on about 35 different identities and personalities until the perfect shape fit into the whole (wait this analogy is getting too sexual ... you get it) My identity did not break, it adapted, it evolved.\ \ So just like figuring out who we want to be when we grow up, attraction patterns shift. Gender expression shifts. Political views shift. Faith shifts. Nervous systems mature. Trauma responses soften or flare. Social roles change. Identity tracks survival, safety, meaning, and belonging. Consistency across all contexts would signal rigidity, not health. I was "straight" for like 20+ years, then I was bisexual, then I was non-binary, then I was trans-masc, now I'm feeling gender fluid, maybe lesbian? Maybe pansexual, who the fuck knows and honestly labels aren't as important to me as knowing what's true for me.\ \ Neuroscience supports this view, not of me being pansexual, but like the science of change. Brain development related to self concept, emotional regulation, and perspective taking continues well into adulthood. Research on narrative identity by Dan McAdams shows people revise personal stories across life stages to integrate new experiences. Each revision keeps coherence while updating meaning. Identity behaves less like a statue and more like an ongoing draft.\ \ Relationship research adds another layer. Studies on attachment and intimacy show people shape identity in response to connection and rupture. Falling in love reorganizes priorities. Ending a relationship does the same. Chronic stress reshapes self perception. Identity responds because survival demands responsiveness.\ \ For queer and trans people, fluidity often reflects honesty rather than confusion. Research on sexual orientation and gender development shows variation across time, especially when safety increases. As environments grow safer, our exploration expands. Suppression decreases. Labels change to match lived experience rather than external demand.\ \ Here comes the practical takeaway. If your identity feels different from five years ago, nothing went wrong. Development simply continued. Here's a ti: curiosity helps more than panic, reflection works better than force. Asking what fits now supports mental health more than clinging to outdated roles.\ \ Questions worth asking:\ \ What feels true in daily behavior rather than fantasy?\ \ What drains energy versus restores energy?\ \ Which identities emerged during safety versus during threat?\ \ Which parts feel chosen versus inherited?\ \ Now the book recommendations because like, that's why we are all here. Each title supports identity exploration without promising fixed answers. Most are non-fiction but I've thrown some fiction into the mix too.\ \ Queer. Queer: A Graphic History by Meg-John Barker.\ \ Gender Trouble by Judith Butler\ \ Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg\ \ Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashely Herring Blake\ \ Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters a piece of classic lesbian literature\ \ On the Same Page by Haley Cass\ \ Late Bloomer by Mazzy Eddings\ \ The Color Purple by Alice Walker\ \ The Romance Recipe by Ruby Barrett\ \ The Pairing by Casey McQuiston\ \ The Stories We Live By by Dan McAdams\ \ What My Bones Know by Stephanie Foo\ \ Identity changes because life changes. Stability comes from values and self awareness, not from freezing identity in time. Growth looks messy. Growth looks human.\ \ Join for free or login

Why does identity feel fluid across years?

12 books

Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Oct 2 2024

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Reading: \ \ In September, I read 10 books!\ \ 7 less books than last month -- definitely because I finished the Lyla Sage and Elsie Silver universes and hit a bit of a rut because of it (no pun intended considering I read The Fake Mate by Lana Ferguson this month...IYKYK)\ \ I finished the audiobook of Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg -- there's a wonderful podcaster who recorded it chapter by chapter on Spotify and that's what I would listen to while doing chores, driving to my riding lessons, on the subway. It was the most beautiful, gut wrenching experience. I want to reread my physical copy and annotate it next, it was one of the most impactful books I've read in recent memory.\ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ \ Eating: \ \ Dinner party season\ \ My love made the most delectable roast chicken thanks to a Jacques Pepin and Julia Child cooking video from the 90's. We had some friends over and feasted!! Here's what it looked like before it went in the oven:\ \ \ \ \ \ Playing: \ \ This month's Spotify "On Repeat"\ \ Juno skyrocketed to the number one spot with the release of Short n Sweet last month. Pain Is Cold Water from Noah Kahan's live album is also up there, that song needs to be released as a studio version!\ \ Slim Pickins and Jolene being close together makes me so happy because Sabrina is definitely channeling Dolly with that song! She HAS to make a country album, I'll die without it!!\ \ \ \ \ \ Obsessing: \ \ Sonny Angels!!!!\ \ I get it now. I understand. I've been buying them left and right and now I have 12. I line them up on my desktop computer. I get it and I love it and I'm NOT sorry about it. I love these freakish little babies and their stupid little hats!!! If I don't get a strawberry one soon I'm going to cry!!!!\ \ \ \ \ \ Recommending: \ \ Sapph-Lit's October book!\ \ In the vein of The Pisces and The Vegetarian, Chlorine is a debut novel that blurs the line between a literary coming-of-age narrative and a dark unsettling horror tale, told from an adult perspective on the trials and tribulations of growing up in a society that puts pressure on young women and their bodies... a powerful, relevant novel of immigration, sapphic longing, and fierce, defiant becoming.\ \ Purchase from our affiliate shop here to support Sapph-Lit, and become a paid Bindery member to help us choose what books we vote on each month!\ \ \ \ \ \ Treating: \ \ A little Reformation shopping trip...\ \ In preparation for my trip to Paris, I treated myself to some fall clothing from Ref! This is my first extended time off since early Spring and I have been grinding to get to a place where I can completley disconnect from work. So yes, I did black out and spend probably more than I had to, but LOOK at this sweater!!\ \ \ \ \ \ See you at the end of October for my next REPORT! xx Nina

September R.E.P.O.R.T.

The 3rd installment of my monthly newsletter sharing all the things I've been reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating myself to!

5 books

Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Aug 7 2024

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August Book Poll

Did you know our @bindery_books community decides what books we’re going to vote on each month? 👀 These were the titles they singled out from my August long list! 🔗 in b!0 if you want to join our Bindery Babes for less than a cup of coffee a month 🫡🩵✨ #sapphlit

7 books

Sapph-Lit\ \ Nina\ \ • Jul 31 2024

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[Reading: \ \ In July, I read 5 books!\ \

Daydream by Hannah Grace (Digital ARC, gifted) ★★★★★\
Bride by Ali Hazelwood (Paperback, purchased myself) ★★★★★\
Big Fan by Alexandra Romanoff (Digital ARC, gifted) ★★★★\
Middle of the Night by Riley Sager (Hardcover, my mom's copy) ★★★★\
The Ride of Her Life by Jennifer Dugan (Digital ARC, gifted) ★★★\ \ \ \ Eating: \ \ I ate my first corn dog this month??\ \ Y'all why did no one tell me how good corn dogs are like...holy shit. I got them frozen from Trader Joe's and they slay so galactically I can't even imagine how good they are straight out the fryer at a state fair. Thank you bestie Niamh for enlightening me.\ \ BUT of course, summer is peak cocktail time for me. I love an apérol spritz, french fries, and oysters. It's the perfect meal. OR a martini and a ceaser salad. OR an iced coffee with a toasted baguette with strawberry jam and tons of butter. OR a beer with a lobster roll and Frito's. All these scream summer to me.\ \ \ \ \ \ Playing: \ \ My Spotify "On Repeat"\ \ Follow our Sapph-Lit collaborative playlist here & add any sapphic songs you want!\ \ \ \ \ \ Obsessing: \ \ Once a horse girl, ALWAYS a horse girl <3\ \ I recently got back into horseback riding! I have always been a horse girl -- I have a horse tattoo, I grew up making "horse journals" where I would fantasize fictional ranches and horses I "owned," and I rode for 10 years as a show jumper, working at the barn in exchange for lessons.\ \ Now that I freelance full time and have much more flexibility in my schedule, I found a barn near me in Brooklyn that I can drive to every week for lessons. It's been the best experience so far, it makes me feel like myself and is actively healing my inner child <3\ \ \ \ \ \ Recommending: \ \ Sapph-Lit's August book!\ \ For readers seeking a powerful and poignant exploration of identity, community, and resilience, Stone Butch Blues by Leslie Feinberg is a must-read, offering a deeply personal and unflinching portrayal of a butch lesbian's journey through the complexities of gender, love, and social justice.\ \ You can purchase this book at cost through Leslie's website, or download a free PDF!\ \ \ \ \ \ Treating: \ \ My Post-Pride-Present\ \ I bought myself the Coach Swing Zip bag as a "I survived Pride Month and all of the events I had to go to" present -- of course I got it in the Charli XCX brat green color :) My partner calls it my Kermit the Frog bag lol\ \ \ \ \ \ See you at the end of August for my next REPORT! xx Nina](https://sapphlit.binderybooks.com/item/wM89PVrLOhaMYY4vcxPZ/)

July R.E.P.O.R.T.

The first installment of my monthly newsletter sharing all the things I've been reading, eating, playing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating myself to!

6 books

sunny thoughts\ \ Sunny\ \ • Jan 15 2024

\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://sunnythoughts.binderybooks.com/item/dzLrSIqAwC01u5DtNG6Y/)

ranking my favorite books & honorable mentions of 2023

fave books part 1: https://youtu.be/bBZEuSYjIvk?si=l7TzM6mGsmboebYK

fave books part 2: https://youtu.be/QsX2jOKMs-Y?si=thWJ2x43tyu9i\_03

Renaissance's review of Dykette: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5749008545?book\_show\_action=false

The Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ujU1cXx4eZV7njNXIYokmO-bDei84tfn/view?usp=sharing

25 books

sunny thoughts\ \ Sunny\ \ • Dec 31 2023

favorite books I've read in 2023

lesbian non-fiction & lit-fic & fantasy reads I've loved in the past year!! Please ignore the fact that I’m wearing pajama pants in this video