Boston - June 16, 2009

Women's Studies

"Commencement," by J. Courtney Sullivan

Some universal acronyms you use on a regular basis just to talk faster: TTYL, PMS, BYOB (or AA, depending).

Then there are ones like SLUG (Smith lesbian until graduation) and BDOC (big dyke on campus) that exist only in certain worlds.

Like at Smith College, the all-women’s school where most of J. Courtney Sullivan’s debut novel, Commencement, takes place. At Smith, outspoken lesbians coexist with WASPs, and unlikely characters become friends. There’s Bree, a Southern Belle who falls in love with a woman; Sally, who has an affair with a professor; April, a radical and hairy feminist; and Celia, a lapsed Catholic.

Outside the Smith bubble, they find post-college life to be full of challenges for young women, and staying friends isn’t always easy.

In the end, however, we all know we need our BFFs.

Available online at amazon.com or at your local bookstore.

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