Bannon's descriptions of bars, clubs and apartment parties vividly evoke a vanished community. Most are set in Greenwich Village, and Ms. 'For contemporary readers the books offer a valuable record of gay and lesbian life in the 1950s. The classic 1950s novel from the Queen of Lesbian Pulp. For being written in the fifties, the series is still entertaining, even though some of the stereotypes are nauseating. The character of Marcie is aggravating, but Beebo is intriguing. I especially liked the character of Jack Mann, who is gay himself and sniffs Laura's secret out pretty quickly. Still, I found this book to be interesting. I'm not sure why the author changed so many details it was quite disconcerting. In Odd Girl Out, Laura's father is portrayed as more calculating and wanting his daughter to make good connections while in college, while in I Am a Woman, he is portrayed as a very cold, abusive man. In I Am a Woman, Laura's mother drowned when she was five (along with Laura's brother), and Laura's father blames Laura for their deaths. In Odd Girl Out, Laura's mother is still alive, and her parents have just gone through an emotionally draining divorce. There are some large discrepancies between the first book in the series (Odd Girl Out) and this book. But unable to stomach life with him, Laura runs away to New York City, where she is introduced to the Greenwich Village gay scene. Beth is now married, and Laura returned home to Chicago to live with her father. In I Am a Woman, the second book in the Beebo Brinker series, Laura has left college after breaking up with Beth. I would have dated Beebo, no question.' -Dorothy Allison 'Bannon's books grab you and don't let go.' - Village Voice … ( more) Oh, the twisted passions of the twilight world of lesbian pulp fiction.' - Chicago Free Press 'Little did Bannon know that her stories would become legends, inspiring countless fledgling dykes to flock to the Village, dog-eared copies of her books in hand, to find their own Beebos and Lauras and others who shared the love they dared not name.' - San Francisco Bay Guardian 'Ann Bannon is a pioneer of dyke drama.' -On Our Backs 'When I was young, Bannon's books let me imagine myself into her New York City neighborhoods of short-haired, dark-eyed butch women and stubborn, tight-lipped secretaries with hearts ready to be broken.

Their struggles with love and relationships are engrossing today, and half a century ago they were revolutionary.' - New York Times 'Sex.

Whereas most lesbians in pulp are stereotypes who get punished for their desires, Beebo and her friends are accessibly human. Her characters also have historical value.

I Am a Woman by Ann Bannon