Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
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This book initially caught my eye while scrolling through Libby one day in attempts to find an audiobook for work. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was about, but when I saw a historical fiction piece that included LGTBQ representation; I decided to go for it! 🎧 

This is a book about Lily, a young Asian American who is growing up in the 1940s/50s in San Francisco, California. She meets a friend, Kathleen Miller, and together they go to the “Telegraph Club”. Without spoiling everything, it’s great piece that shows how one can go from being a sheltered, innocent girl to someone who suddenly discovers the rest of the world around them! 🎤 💃🏻 

I really enjoyed and appreciated this story for a few reasons. The first reason was that I had a lot of empathetic feelings surrounding what it was like for Lesbians and Gays in the earlier years - underground clubs, raids, being thrown in prison. 🏳️‍🌈While I know we still have a long way to go when it comes to LGBTQIA+ rights; we have already come so far and it shows. 💪🏼 Secondly, I feel like Malinda Lo did a spectacular job at capturing what someone might feel when they start to discover their sexuality isn’t ‘heterosexual’ - or at least; it was similar to what I experienced..I would be embarrassed about the female anatomy, panicking when someone asks who your ‘celebrity crush’ is, and loving someone without realizing you’re actually in love. 💕 

The only negative I have to say about this book was the ending. I think the ending was a bit abrupt and the epilogue was lacking the feeling of ‘closure’ I was looking for. But, I do feel like it was similar and accurate to what one would have experienced during this time frame. 

I will also note; there are some Trigger Warnings for: PTSD, Miscarriage, and Homophobia. This is also NOT SAFE FOR WORK if you’re listening to it via audiobook! 🔥😅


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