A wild and precious life A memoir

Windsor famously won a 2013 landmark lawsuit against the U.S. that overturned the anti-gay Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA); this posthumous book does not focus on that case. Windsor began her memoir with Lyon's help before her passing in 2017, and he finished it by supplementing interviews with friends and family. The result takes a big-picture look at Windsor's entire life, including her immigrant experience and childhood in Philadelphia; her enviable 1950s Greenwich Village social life; her relationship with Thea Speyer that began rocky and ended 44-years later when Thea succumbed to MS; her late-life yet intense activism; and her second marriage to Judith Kasen-Windsor. Most enjoyable in this telling is Windsor's willingness to reflect and adjust. She's aware that being white, feminine, and moneyed allowed her a different experience than other members of the LGBTQ community. She admits relief at Thea's final passing after long illness and constant caretaking, and she admits battling loneliness afterwards. Lyon's interplay between his observations and Windsor's first-person narration is also rewarding.--Emily Dziuban Copyright 2010 Booklist

In this insightful posthumous debut, gay rights activist Windsor spins a whirlwind tale spanning eight decades studded with glamour, bravado, and desire against the backdrop of Greenwich Village and the Hamptons. Completed after her death at 88 in 2017 by Lyon (Pill Head), Windsor's account covers growing up in Philadelphia and, in 1951, moving to New York City and studying math at New York University. After college, Windsor worked at IBM and rose through the ranks; meanwhile, she frequented lesbian bars and met other women, using the same pickup line: "Tell me your name.... I'm Edie Windsor and I'm new here." Eventually, she fell in love with Thea Spyer, a wealthy Dutch psychologist, and in 1966 the two settled into what became a four-decade partnership. Thea died in 2009 and left Windsor her estate, for which Windsor was expected to pay $500,000 in taxes since their union was not recognized as a marriage per the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act. Windsor filed a lawsuit that went to the Supreme Court in 2013 and won, paving the way for same-sex marriage ("I did not want the government to benefit financially from hateful discrimination," she writes). Windsor's memoir is passionately told and serves as a substantive look at her contribution to same-sex marriage. (Oct.)

Windsor (1929--2017), in collaboration with Lyon (Pill Head), shares her life's story of LGBTQ activism and passion, from the origins of her immediate family to her lawsuit against the U.S. government as she fought for recognition of her marriage to Thea Spyer in 2013. Windsor's death partway through the writing of this memoir, Lyon explains, spurred him to reach out for additional interviews and insights into her life. The details of his methods are included at the end of each chapter, which capture Windsor's voice beautifully. Readers will be fascinated by not only Windsor's story but her effervescent personality, as she reveals all aspects of her life, from a long-ago marriage to a man named Saul to her rocky familial relationships and explosive love affairs. With many sparkling memories paired with materials from personal archival collections, this account enthralls with every turn of the page. VERDICT Whether readers are seeking material on U.S. LGBTQ history, particularly regarding the pre-Stonewall era, or an enrapturing memoir, this work will satisfy. Don't miss out on this essential read.--Abby Hargreaves, Dist. of Columbia P.L.

Growing up queer in midcentury America.In 2010, Windsor (1929-2017) sued the United States for recognition of her marriage to a woman, claiming her legal right of inheritance from her late wife's estate. Her victory in the suit, which catapulted her to fame, marked the transformation of a deeply closeted woman into an outspoken gay rights activist. In a forthright and vivid memoir, written with the assistance of journalist Lyon (Pill Head: The Secret Life of a Painkiller Addict, 2009), Windsor reveals her early realization of her attraction to women and her long struggle to navigate homophobia among family members and at work, to live openly as a lesbian, and to marry the woman she loved. After Windsor died, Lyon took over the unfinished project, resulting in "a memoir/biography hybrid" that complements, and often deepens, Windsor's narrative with information and insights that Lyon uncovered from his continued research. Lyon discovered, for example, that Windsor had a fierce temper, that her skill as a card counter enabled her to win big in casinos, and that she tended to "brush past" painful memories, such as the rift within her family caused by her sexuality. Although Windsor knew she was gay, she married a man who had been a close family friend, thinking she could bury her feelings for women. Soon, however, she rebelled against the charade: "The core of my identity, my natural biological instinct, wasn't going to change." Divorced, she moved to Greenwich Village, where she dove energetically into gay social life and sex. "She went through so many women," a friend told Lyon. At the same time, she embarked on a successful career as a mathematician, writing programs for the UNIVAC computer and eventually developing software at IBM. In the workplace, she deflected matchmakers by pretending to have a boyfriend. In 2007, when she married Dutch-born psychologist Thea Spyer after a relationship of more than 40 years, co-workers asked her why she had lied to them. Windsor's world had changed dramatically.A candid portrait of an indefatigable woman. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.