Last Night at the Telegraph Club (Large Print / Library Binding)
Winter 2020 Kids Indie Next List
“It’s 1950s San Francisco and Lily Hu dreams of going to the moon, or at least working on the math that will someday send a human into space. Calculations and equations are simpler than the puzzle of her own identity — especially as she becomes increasingly sure that she’s queer. With a new friend who might be like her, Lily finds herself venturing into the San Francisco LGBTQ+ community, falling in love, and hiding it all from her family and friends. But keeping secrets is dangerous, especially as McCarthyism’s rise puts Chinese Americans on the defensive. Thoughtful, romantic, and full of descriptions of delicious food, Lily’s story is one of intersecting identities and first love.”
— Lillian Tschudi-Campbell, Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, MN
Staff Reviews
You can tell from the enormous stack of awards on the cover of this book that it’s a powerful story, but it’s absolutely one to experience for yourself. At once triumphant, joyful, heartbreaking, and contemplative, this historical-fiction follows a Chinese American teen growing up during the 1950s and coming into her queer identity. As she discovers who she is and falls in love, she must balance not only the racial discrimination and homophobia rampant at that time, but also the tensions within her own family and her relationship with them. Flowing in and out of different moments in Chinese-American history, this book is an absolute triumph of teen literature and a vital tribute to the intersection of queer and Asian American identities.
(YA Historical Fiction 14+) — Find more Staff Picks by Iz
— IzThe queer romance we've been waiting for."--Ms. Magazine Restrained yet luscious.--Sarah Waters, bestselling author of Tipping the Velvet A National Bestseller
Seventeen-year-old Lily Hu can't remember exactly when the feeling took root--that desire to look, to move closer, to touch. Whenever it started growing, it definitely bloomed the moment she and Kathleen Miller walked under the flashing neon sign of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. Suddenly everything seemed possible. But America in 1954 is not a safe place for two girls to fall in love, especially not in Chinatown. Red-Scare paranoia threatens everyone, including Chinese Americans like Lily. With deportation looming over her father--despite his hard-won citizenship--Lily and Kath risk everything to let their love see the light of day.
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