Books like Odd Girl Out

I love this book. Even though it was published before even my mother was born, this book impacted my life in a way that I can't put into words adequately. I was seventeen years old, queer and miserable and living in an extremely rural and insular area, and I felt that I was the only girl in the world who was attracted to other girls. This was pre-internet, of course. I knew that there were men who were attracted to men (my best friend was one of them), but I had never (knowingly) met a woman attracted to another woman.I was on vacation in Maine, and I found a little used bookstore. I started looking through the titles, and for some reason "Odd Girl Out" caught my eye. And then...the cover. Oh man, the cover. It was the Naiad Press version, the one with two girls kissing in silhouette, and my heart literally felt as if it came to a stop. I had to buy this book. It took me almost a half hour to gather up the courage to take it up to the counter, and the entire time I was afraid that my family would come find me and I'd have to put the book down and leave it behind. I remember reading that book that night, in the dark, the pages illuminated by a flashlight. I was terrified of being caught, but I HAD to read this in one sitting. And I did.And even though it's not a particularly happy ending, Laura resonated with me. I was Laura. There were other Lauras out there; I only had to find them. And a year later, I discovered the internet and chat rooms and my life was irrevocably changed for the better, but this book validated me. This book told me that I wasn't alone. I still have the Naiad Press version, tattered and creased and well-loved and -read, sitting beside the newer Cleis Press version. If I had to pick one book that impacted my life above all others, this is probably the one that I'd choose.