Now available: The Bohemian Girl and Other Stories by Stacy Danielle Stephens

[flatwaterpress]

First of all, this book is about the experiences of various Transsexuals dealing with their experiences in reality and life. The book is excellently written, and is strong enough to stand alone as what it is. The characters are interesting, and the details draw the reader in. It’s obvious that the author has put a lot of her personal life into the book, and researched the lives of others rather thoroughly. Common themes of Nebraska and the Catholic Church are especially prominent. I have often pondered what things I was doing now that might be disapproved of by future generations. For example, while there were blatant racists in the 1940's...there was still a baseline of acceptable behavior by less racist people that would be considered shocking today. I do not want to be judged by history, but after reading this, I have come to realize that history will DEFINITELY judge contemporary society for the way it treats Transsexuals, and if one desires to avoid being judged harshly in the light of future generations, one would be wise to avoid stereotypes and preconceptions as much as possible. This book does an excellent job of doing that. The characters are real people, with real hopes and dreams. More importantly, while the greater facts of their lives are taken into account, they are still all quite different as individuals and are extremely in-depth. This is literature in the finest sense of the word; both for the quality of writing it uses and for the themes that it explores.

1. The Bohemian Girl
   
2. The Woman of La Mirada
   
3. Then Kiss Me Once Again
   
4. Why Had Coronado Never Gone Back to Spain?
   
5. The Periodic Table
   
6. An Expensive Delicate Ship
   
7. The World Will Never Be the Same
   
8. When You Know
   
9. The Princess of Breckenridge
   
10. In This Gulf of Uncertain Light
    
11. Love Lies Bleeding
    
12. All the Courage You Have in You