Claassen (anthropology, Appalachian State U., North Carolina) reports findings from interviews of 44 middle- and upper-class lesbians from Florida and North Carolina, between 62 and 82 years of age, conducted during 1997-2001. The text explores the subjects' experiences of growing up during the Depression and WWII; marriage and families; issues of

Whistling Women is a unique, candid collection of the life experiences of 44 lesbians between 62 and 82 years of age. This book explores new ground with interviews about their memories, feelings, and thoughts on a diversity of perspectives--from growing up during the Depression and World War II, to retirement and old age at the height of the gay liberation movement. This unprecedented resource captures a first-person view of lesbian history and documents the struggles and achievements of the women who lived it.