“[A]n entertaining biography. . . .”
—New York Times Book Review“Drawing on countless hours spent with de Acosta’s personal correspondence and unpublished writings, Schanke puts together a compelling portrait of a woman whose confidence in herself is striking, particularly because she stood tall in an era when women were taught to do the opposite. . . . Although de Acosta’s writing is largely neglected, Schanke’s well-crafted, deeply-researched biography makes her live again, gliding down the streets of New York to show other women how it should be done.”
—ForeWord “[Schanke] has written a delightful biography of de Acosta, which places her in the Dona Juana hall of fame. . . . Schanke’s biography . . . is a delicious read, filled with juicy quotes and excellent research on peripheral players. Like Natalie Barney, de Acosta was an original and artful seductress.”—Girlfriends
“Mercedes deserves a lot of credit for having the courage to be an outspoken lesbian in the early twentieth century. . . .”—Gay City News
“Schanke brings an awareness of what is tragically left undone to the study of de Acosta’s life. . . . Her individualism, her struggle to express herself, her desire to be loved—these make de Acosta an enormously compelling contemporary figure.”—Choice
“The story of de Acosta, her life, her loves, and her struggle to live openly in a world that wanted no part of her, will serve to inspire generations to come. Schanke is to be congratulated for taking the time and effort to bring de Acosta to life so vividly, and for working to see that she and her work finally get the credit, and attention, they deserve.”—Texas Triangle
“A gripping good read. . . . [T]his book also sheds new light on the biographies of dozens of other renowned women of the era—Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Alla Nazimova, Ona Munson, and Eva Le Gallienne, to name a few.”—Felicia Hardison Londré, University of Missouri–Kansas City
“That Furious Lesbian”: The Story of Mercedes de Acosta reclaims and celebrates a figure who is now almost virtually unknown among students and scholars of theatre history. . . . Schanke’s lively and provocative narrative chronicles the story of this important figure in gay and lesbian history.”—Elizabeth Reitz Mullenix, Illinois State University
