The Famous Lady Lovers

“Extraordinary in its scope and inventiveness to focus on their intimate lives . . . . Woolner’s beautiful prose and writing style makes this book a delight to read. Academics and general readers alike will be drawn to it.”—Starred review, Library Journal

“Illuminating . . . . Woolner’s emphasis on pleasure feels both urgent and hopeful at a time when LGBTQIA+ history and Black studies are increasingly targeted.”—Los Angeles Review of Books

“Cookie Woolner’s work adds to expanding scholarship on queer Black women by centering Black lady lovers’ experiences in the 1920s and 1930s, across geography, transcending class, generation, and profession. . . . The Famous Lady Lovers is ideal for undergraduates. The threads Woolner follows supply a relevant assignment for several courses: queer history, African American history, and music history. Its concise narrative structure effectively weaves together original research and solid methodology.”—Journal of American History

“Woolner is skilled at reading scant and highly fraught historical sources, and she succeeds in showing in great detail how Black women created queer social and sexual networks in the 1920s. . . . The Famous Lady Lovers is an important book and truly enjoyable read. . . . [S]ure to become a favorite of undergraduate readers, and it would be a wonderful addition to courses on African American history, women’s and gender history, and LGBTQ history in the modern United States.”—American Historical Review

“Impeccably researched and compellingly written examination of Black women who loved women during the 1920s and 1930s.”—Karla J. Strand, Ms. Magazine

“Woolner’s project has been worth the wait. . . . The Famous Lady Lovers accomplishes its primary goal of underscoring the role of Black queer women in steering the turn toward modernity in the early and mid-twentieth century. It is an excellent adoption for upper-level undergraduate courses or graduate students interested in questions of Black queer culture, sexuality, modernity, and the power of self-making in the face of adversity.”—Journal of the History of Sexuality

“Woolner points out that elite Black women had to carefully hide their queer relationships and sexuality. . . . [This book] add[s] important elements to the history of queer life in the United States. In a time when parts of the country are embracing conservative values and denying the right to teach this part of history, [this book] demonstrate[s] that LGBTQ+ history is not just that of queer communities; it is intimately connected to and interwoven with all parts of the American past.”—Journal of Women’s History

“Famous Lady Lovers serves as a fantastic resource engaging in Black knowledge systems to fill a void in history not often discussed.”—Journal of African American History

“A compelling book that offers a fresh perspective on the sexuality of many well-known entertainers and, importantly, centers love in the context of a broader culture insistent on seeing only violence and jealousy. A striking contribution to the history of Black women, queerness, and urbanization.”—Michele Mitchell, author of Righteous Propagation: African Americans and the Politics of Racial Destiny after Reconstruction

“Fascinating and deeply researched, The Famous Lady Lovers offers us new ways of discussing Black intimate life, urban society and culture, and women’s long-standing struggle for freedom. The public and private narratives in this book are certain to transform our understanding of queer and Black women’s histories. A must read.”—LaShawn Harris, author of Sex Workers, Psychics, and Numbers Runners: Black Women in New York City’s Underground Economy