Thought Fox Book Club: Queer Book Group

A welcoming and inclusive space for LGBTQ+ readers and allies to explore diverse narratives and engage in lively discussions. Each month, we delve into powerful stories that reflect and celebrate queer experiences, fostering community and connection through the love of literature.

ABOUT THE BOOK

When Esther, an English professor living in 1970s small-town New York, has her first lesbian love affair, the fallout brings her everyday miseries into focus and sends her spiraling. Confronted with the homophobia of straight feminists and the misogyny of gay men, Esther is left to forge a language for her feminism and her burgeoning lesbian desire. A darkly comedic story of feminist love, hope, and reckoning, On Strike Against God’s call to readers —“Let’s be reasonable. Let’s demand the impossible”—rings urgently true today.

Originally published in 1980, On Strike Against God is the only realist novel by feminist science fiction icon Joanna Russ. This new critical edition includes previously unpublished alternate endings to the novel, letters between Joanna Russ and acclaimed poet Marilyn Hacker, and additional essays by Russ. Contemporary authors Jeanne Thornton and Mary Anne Mohanraj discuss Russ’s continued impact, and an interview with science fiction luminary Samuel R. Delany reflects on Delany’s decades-long friendship with Russ.

Host or Publisher Thought Fox