The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell
A Novel
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4.0 • 4 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
At a time when women did not commonly travel unescorted, carry a rifle, sit down in bars, or have romantic liaisons with other women, Lucy Lobdell boldly set forth to earn men's wages. Lucy Lobdell did all of these things in a personal quest to work and be paid, to wear what she wanted, and love whomever she cared to. But to gain those freedoms she had to endure public scorn and wrestle with a sexual identity whose vocabulary had yet to be invented. In this riveting historical novel set in upstate New York in the 19th century, William Klaber captures the life of a brave woman who saw well beyond her era.
The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell is the fictionalized account of Lucy's foray into the world of men and her inward journey to a new sexual identity. It is her promised memoir as hear and recorded a century later by William Klaber, an upstream neighbor. Meticulously researched and told with compassion and respect, this is historical fiction at its best.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Klaber's fictional memoir set in 1855 and based on a true story, Lucy Ann Lobdell after being deserted by her husband and leaving her young daughter, Helen, in the care of her family leaves Basket Creek, N.Y., and begins a new life as a man. As Joseph Israel Lobdell, Lucy moves first to Honesdale, Pa., and teaches music, then to what was then Minnesota Territory, doing odd jobs. After being outed as a woman both in Pennsylvania and Minnesota, Lucy ends up in the Pennsylvania poorhouse, where she resumes living as a man. Lucy later marries Marie Louise Perry by a justice of the peace who doesn't know Lucy's true gender, and she finally ends up committed to an insane asylum. All that is true and verifiable. What makes this story stand out is the author's skill in imagining the life of a transgender man in a time when women had virtually no power in the world and when any identity other than straight and cisgender was considered a grave mental illness. By serving as Lucy's voice not to mention doing what was obviously a great deal of historical research the author becomes her advocate and encourages readers to do the same. A unique and important book.
