Folly

by Maureen Brady, Bonnie Zimmerman (Afterword)

A modern classic of race, labor rights, and lesbian love written “with an authenticity, a force, a caring that deepens and enlarges us" (Tillie Olsen, author of Tell Me A Riddle ). Brought together by the tragic death of an infant, black and white women at a North Carolina textile factory join together to strike against the plant’s unfeeling management. A story of race relations and the power of grassroots organizing, this absorbing novel becomes a love story when two very different women in the group fall for each other. Speaking first to the value of labor and the realities of homophobia and racism, this story also celebrates the transformative power of love in the lives of maginalized women. Library Journal praised Folly for the “depth and reality of its characters.” And as the Washington Blade said, “this book effectively reminds readers that, although we have made many gains, we have a long way to go.”

Genres: Fiction, Lesbian Fiction, LGBT, Lesbian

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Bethany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet book! And sadly still relevant today! Though I appreciated the exploration of racism and how white people talk over black people, I wish more of the story had actually been about the black characters. Though I did enjoy the main characters, all women of different ages coming to terms with or sharing their queerness. I hope these ladies were successful in creating their co-op mill.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

C'ETAIT TROP BIEN et tous les personnages sont des meufs lesbiennes, vive la vie

[Sara G · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is thick and warm, like the air on a hot summer's day. And the story certainly has its charms. One of the rare books where I'm longing for a sequel that I know isn't coming.

[ira · Rating 4 out of 5]

found and bought kind of arbitrarily at the Gerber hart book sale and ended up really loving it! Prose isn’t earthshaking but it does exactly what it needs to