A fragile union cover

A fragile union

by Joan Nestle

"A Fragile Union is Joan Nestle's collection of intimate essays and narratives about lesbian sexuality, butch-femme relationships, sex writing, the importance of preserving the history of pre-Stonewall gays and lesbians, the love that is possible between lesbians and gay men, and the often shaky camaraderie among lesbians as that community continues to flex its diversity. Readers of A Restricted Country and other Nestle writings are familiar with the author's themes of unity and difference. In A Fragile Union, she delves still deeper. Living with cancer, facing death, Nestle now explores other "fragile unions": the fragility of her sexual desire in the face of her illness, the fragility of memory in the face of enormous loss and fear, her belief in the possibility of hope, her love for her people - women, lesbians and gays, the working class, Jews, and all who struggle against injustice."--Pub. desc.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?