A fascinating biography of a fearless queer activist. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been to be openly queer before recent years.

Eve Adams (born Chawa Zloczower, 1891-1943) experienced the rawest of discrimination on many levels. She was a Jew in Gentile territories, a radical in mostly conservative settings, and a lesbian in places and times that were not sympathetic to her desires. She even served jail time for writing a book about "Lesbian Love" and allegedly propositioning an undercover policewoman. For these "crimes" she was deported from the United States (where she had immigrated in 1912). She ultimately ended up in Auschwitz, where she perished at the age of 52.

Jonathan Ned Katz’s biography of Adams is somewhat redundant and padded, as books about obscure figures often are, yet he has an important story to tell. Included also is the full text of Adams's rare book "Lesbian Love,” a charming set of character sketches that are tame by modern standards.

Not just for specialists, this brief biography is definitely worth reading.

I received an electronic pre-publication copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.