Lesbian Avenger Handbook
By Kelly J Cogswell and Sarah Schulman
Review by Harry
For those inclined to fight the good fight, the Lesbian Avenger Handbook is a both delightful and instructive read. Sometimes in left-wing organizing one can run the risk of being lost in the abstract, the symbolic and conjectural. Sarah Schulman is thus a refreshing point of difference in producing a work that addresses the quite necessary nitty-gritty of practical politics. Schulman also displays a healthy economy of words – running at 100 pages, the length is very much approachable yet has a maturity to it such that both the novice and the experienced activist will get something out of this text.
Despite its pamphlet length, this handbook covers an impressive breadth of content – running from confliction resolution through to phone trees and even fundraising. The granularity of guidance given, the accessibility of its prose, makes the reader of this text feel like he or she is having a personal dialogue with an old and wizened mentor. As a beginner in political activity, it can sometimes be difficult to find a person(s) of experience and nous to bridge the knowledge and experience gap, thus making the task of activism seem off-putting and unwieldly to the eager but uninformed. It is a good thing then that Sarah Schulman has brought such thoroughness and thoughtfulness to her writing.
