STEPPING OUT OF LINE: A
WORKBOOK ON Reviewed by Caroline Koenig and Greta Hofmann Nemiroff Greta: Caroline and I have worked together as student and teacher in three women's studies courses at the New School of Dawson College in Montreal. While I rarely have the time to give tutorials, no one who loves teaching can resist a truly committed student; Caroline has managed to persuade me to have a tutorial on issues about women which interest her. This is how we have come together to write this review for publication. With Caroline, I find myself in the situation I often experience as a non-lesbian, feminist educator; namely, that I am teaching a young lesbian who shares many of my interests and beliefs, but whose life also has the important dimension of lesbianism which I do not share. We have much to teach one another about the ways in which our own and one another's sexuality informs our lives and relationship with each other, and our interaction with the society in which we live. While I have read works on lesbianism, have close friends who are lesbians, and have worked with lesbians on many different projects, I have a great deal yet to learn. Stepping Out of Line is a very useful resource. It covers a vast array of subjects (these are listed in Caroline's section), and it suggests approaches and methodology for group work on the subjects of lesbianism and feminism, and where they intersect. The book is clearly and well written, sensible in its approach, and humanistic in its outlook. I am especially struck by the attention paid to ensuring that groups maintain an egalitarian format, that the group leader be an equal participant, and that the issues of group trust and appropriate closure be addressed. I recommend this work highly to anyone who works with women: to counselors, teachers, medical personnel, in particular. It is useful as a resource book for lesbians, without a doubt, but it is essential to non-lesbians who want to understand more. It is a helpful tool to aid us in crossing those divisions which can arise between women. We need one another's support and have many feminist projects to complete. Caroline: Why is this book valuable for students? Throughout my fifteen years in the public education system, as a young lesbian feminist, I did not even exist. I could not find corroboration of my beliefs, sexuality, or self in anyone of my classes or in the texts which I studied. I was virtually invisible. There were no clubs to join, no one person to answer my questions and no support. I was alone with my fears and doubts in desperate search for guidance or a friend with whom to share my feelings. Stepping Out of Line is an excellent book for students to start with, since it offers an overview of a wide variety of topics in relation to feminism and lesbianism. It begins by defining and removing the myths associated with lesbianism and suggests reasons why we lesbians make this choice. Many students, at an age of sexual discovery are in serious need of such guidance in order to feel less alienated from society and to be shown the choice of lesbianism or, at least, a clearer understanding of who lesbians are. |
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