Why read Beyond the Pale?

Book cover of Beyond the Pale

Book description

Winner of the Lambda Literary Award: "A page-turner that brings to life turn-of-the-century New York's Lower East Side." -Library Journal
Born in a Russian-Jewish settlement, Gutke Gurvich is a midwife who immigrates to New York's Lower East Side with her partner, a woman passing as a man. Their story crosses…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked Beyond the Pale as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Lori Henriksen

Author

I love this novel because it is beautifully written and dips into darkness without losing the depth of the human spirit.

The story follows Russian lesbians, Gutke and Chava along with the women they love. It is a story of women’s struggle to survive a hard scrabble daily life, a revolution in the pale, and a Russian pogrom before immigrating to New York City. These are intelligent, aware women who dare to defy the norm at their own peril.

They still live in my heart because of their love and kindness, courage, and resilience to embrace hope in the…

From Lori's list on The best LGBTQ+ themed books about the healing power of love, defining family, and confronting discrimination.

Keri Blakinger

Author

When I read this book the first time, I was on heroin and bumbling my way through college. But the combination of magical realism and queerness and historical fiction struck such a perfect chord that I lost myself in the music of the Dykewoman’s pages. That—a book you can lose yourself in completely—is exactly the sort of thing you want in prison. Anything that lets you utterly forget about the present even for a few moments feels like forbidden magic.

From Keri's list on The best books to read in prison.