Kicking the Habit

by Jeanne Cordova

Jeanne Cordova, author of "My Immaculate Heart" in LESBIAN NUNS: Breaking Silence, takes us once again behind the forbidden convent door for a revealing look at the joys and sorrows of Sisterhood.  This compelling and sometimes shocking autobiography chronicles Cordova's early life as a naive young woman from the Republican suburbs of Southern California.  Sent to the ghettos of Skid Row and Watts by Mother Superior, Cordova runs headlong into the chaos of inner city life, the social unrest of the '60s, disillusionment with religious life and her own burgeoning sexuality.

Genres: Nonfiction, Lesbian, Memoir, LGBT, Queer, Religion

250 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

A pioneer rabble-rousing activist, Jeanne Cordova is one of the founders of the West Coast LGBTQ movement. Cordova also edited 'The Lesbian Tide', "the national voice of record for the lesbian feminist era of the 1970s." Her journalism and writing continued with books and essays in award-winning anthologies including 'Lesbian Nuns: Breaking the Silence' and 'Persistent Desire: A Femme-Butch Reader.' Most recently, Cordova chaired the Butch Voices LA Conference in 2010. She and her pack of guerilla cultural activists, LEX: The Lesbian Exploratorium, create political, art and history happenings around Los Angeles.

Reviews

[Danika at The Lesbrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much less scandalous then the subtitle "a lesbian nun story" would have you expect, but it was a sweet coming out/coming of age story in a different setting. There's something almost Victorian about reading queer coming out stories, especially from a couple decades ago. She's so naive and clueless about the lesbian relationships happening around her, and even her own attractions.

It also makes an interesting prologue to her memoir When We Were Outlaws.

[Cassy · Rating 3 out of 5]

some quotes that i wrote down in my notebook because i liked them:

"Catholics don't believe in reincarnation, but when Antonia had spoken to me last week at the Poet's Boulder, for that moment I believed the Blessed Virgin must have been reincarnated in Antonia Marie's smile" (108)
"I demanded the attention of the blossoming golden barrel next to me. Obviously this means I'm a homosexual. Yep that's what I am. And furthermore, my little friend, I said patting it gently, I am delighted! So take that to your roots and pray on it" (236)
"I could find no lesbians who weren't nuns, so ultimately I called the Department of Parks and Recreation looking for a women's softball team, the second-best place to find gay women" (247)

another read for my chicana lesbian literature class :') found this book a lot more entertaining and delightful than the first novel we read for class. i found myself losing a bit of focus when she launched into her rants about religion and institutionalized religion, most of which just went completely over my head bc i have very little knowledge of religion but i otherwise found the novel very entertaining. it was refreshing to engage with lesbian art that didn't end in tragedy. others might complain that the process between cordova fully realizing her sexuality might have dragged but i found that aspect to be one that i was most appreciative of, it was sweet. like girl was writing love poems about women she barely met and still didn't realize she was gay :( <3

[Fikri · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hadn't read a book that'd attracted this much attention on the train since Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, but despite the heavy scandal implied by the cover, this book is a lot more nun than lesbian. It was only more enlightening a read for it though, for I knew next to nothing about the heterogeneity of Catholic orders or the upheavals the Church went through in the 60's. The pacing is a bit slow and heavy on extraneous detail, centring a character who's really slow on the uptake—it's almost hard to believe the Jeanne Córdova was this clueless as a teen!—but otherwise this is a sweet, unique coming-of-age story.

[K Kriesel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored this book, I couldn't put it down and just sat with it for a long time after I finished. Cordova was so funny and passionate and naive, and such an amazing writer!

[Jeanne Cordova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review
There can't be too many lesbian nun stories.Cordova describes very well the church in the '60s & the shock of living your teens through that time...an earnest & engaging book.
--Carol Ann Douglas/Off Our Backs

From the Back Cover
"Cordova gives us back our own '60s, even our youth: pure, honest, confusing and full of hope" - KATE MILLETT, Author, 'Sexual Politics'

"It's a Rubyfruit Jungle of the convent!" - ROBIN TYLER

"Congratulations to the Catholic Church for raising so many lesbians over the years." - DEL MARTIN & PHYLLIS LYON, Authors, 'Lesbian/ Woman'

[Kiwi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. It often felt slow, since I was just waiting for this beautiful clear-baby-dyke to FIGURE IT OUT, but that was the point of the book. There were so many times that I wanted to smack the book against my forehead due to Jeanne's ridiculous naiveté and cluelessness, but it was also a bit of an endearing trait, really.

I loved the cast of characters, learning about the various orders (I've always been fascinated by such things) and the political nature of the times. By the end it was also hot hot hot. The epilogue made it all very real.

Great read!

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this one because my non-lesbian, former-nun mother was in the same order and is actually mentioned in the book a couple of times. It's an interesting read about an interesting time.