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Page f 2 LAMBDA Oa '9? Book Reviews: |>potidiy contribiftfngto CQnqdQ's insidious ogendo of wofid domination by Loupon Vedoi As I thought up books to recommend to supplement the impoverished B-GLAD library and to aid you in your procrastinatory efforts, I realized that the first books that came to mind, and sev eral after that, were all of Cana dian origin. As a result. I'm doing sort of a Canadian theme including a book of short stories by a Cana dian writer, one by a Canadian journalist, and one about a Cana dian bookstore. Although these books may be harder to find here, given uneven distribution by Canadian publishers, they are well worth the extra effort. In the Spice House by Mamie Woodrow Minerva Canada A woman who murders the rude customers at 32-Flavors, a butcher in love with a vegetarian baker, and a waitress obsessed with a patron who eats only white pureed food— these characters and others appear in In the Spice House. Woodrow demonstrates more than a simple respect for good eating in this book of 16 stories, each of which reserves a special role for food. In the Spice House artfully blends the sensual ity of food with sex, and is com pletely satisfying on both ac counts. A full range of emotional tone as well as varieties of cuisine are explored finding the interrela tionships (Freud aside) between women, food, and sex. Restricted Entry by Janine Fuller and Stuart Blackley Press Gang Publishers Restricted Entrj' is the story of Little Sister's Bookstore's court battle with Canada Cus toms. Little Sister's is a small queer bookstore in Vancouver, for which the financial losses, caused by book seizures at the border, became so significant as to force them to take on Canada Customs in a harassment suit. Issues of free speech and discrimination are discussed as the trial progresses. The Canadian example of strong hate laws (i.e. fewer nasty neo-nazis) but greater censorship (more restriction of "questionable" material) should stimulate a little thought on what is at stake when we talk about limitations on freedom. In addi tion, though Canada is in many respects more bberal than the US (women are actually equal *gasp* under their constitution) and there are no nasty Defense of Marriage type acts, the appearance of insti tutionalized homophobia through out the trial and the belittlement of Little Sister's claim show that the prevailing sense of compla cency is iUfounded. Restricted Entry’ does not attempt to be exceedingly evenhanded, but the authors' bias is clearly identifiable (hey, it was written by the store's owners) and is not misleading. Lip Sendee by Kate Pillion HarperCollins Lip Service deals with the mythology of male and female roles In soceity, which is perpetu ated not only by the media but by "common sense" and the cult of Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus. Assumptions about women being more supportive and better friends are shown to be false as FiUion reveals the underly ing motivations for many conven tional behaviors. FiUion argues that these myths are hurtful to aU of us as we foil to see things as they reaUy are and recognize our own ulterior motives. FUlion's journal istic style is very clear and she draws very realistic examples upon which to base her analyses. This is a very thorough, insightful, and thought-provoking book. Chasihgthe Rainbow by Jennie Jotdun 1 am a 38 year-old woman—the mother of two beau tiful children. I have been di vorced once, more the result of a poor decision in partering than of sexuality. I am currently sepa rated from a man for whom I have a deep love and respect. This time the break-up was a result of an inability to reconcile my sexuality with my marriage. One might ask how I have gotten to this point in my life. How does a woman, for so many years, lead a heterosexual lifestyle without realizing her true sexuality? WeU, we have aU heard it said that life is a journey. And so it is. The same can be said for the coming-out process. This is true whether one is coming out to themselves or to the rest of the world. Just when, then, does this journey begin? The answer to that ques tion is as varied as the people who make up our community. Many times this process begins before continued on page 14-
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