Parents' Guide to Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Sex, Romance & Nudity

There are several brief but graphic sexual images and encounters. Reading a book about two women having a love affair, Lily "tugged up the hem of her nightgown and pressed her fingers between her thighs and pressed, and pressed." A kiss between Kath and Lily turns into "an indescribable ache" between Lily's legs and "when Kath's fingers touched her, they both gasped."

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Adults drink and smoke. The underage Kath and Lily drink (sometimes to excess) beer, martinis, and sangria and sometimes smoke cigarettes.

Violence & Scariness

There's a police raid on The Telegraph Club, but no one is physically assaulted (the story says police "wielded flashlights" and women were handcuffed). Still. it's an emotionally traumatizing experience for many of the women.

Language

In the Author's Note, Lo explains that she used the terms "Oriental" and "Negro" because they were widely used in the 1950s, but cautions readers that these terms are considered offensive today and should never be used.

Products & Purchases

Characters mention the movie Bambi, shop at Macy's and drink 7-Up.

Educational Value

A lengthy Author's Note about the 1950s touches on everything from Elvis and the Beat culture to a history of San Francisco's Chinatown and its Chinese community, and how the city became an early refuge for queer men and women. The note also tackles serious subjects: how the government and FBI hunted not just for suspected Communists but forced queer people out of jobs because of the belief that homosexuality was somehow linked to Communism.There's also an excellent bibliography of books, articles, and documentary films

Positive Messages

It's important to be who you are, not what someone else thinks you should be.

Positive Role Models

While Lily and Kath don't always make good decisions (sneaking out at night, using fake IDs, and getting drunk), they are courageous; refusing to deny their identities as lesbians and seeing futures for themselves as a pilot or rocket scientist rather than following the stereotypical 1950s path for girls and becoming wives and mothers. At a time when careers in math or science were rarely open to women, Lily's Aunt Judy works as a "computer" (in the 1950s, before computers were widely used, gifted human mathematicians were called "computers") at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Judy is a powerful role model for Lily and never stops encouraging her to pursue her dreams.

Diverse Representations

Lily is Chinese American and Kath is White. Lily's mother was born in the United States while her father was born in China. The family is Christian and active in their church. While it's important to both parent that they're looked upon as a "typical American family," her mother worries about losing their Chinese identity. People make assumptions about Lily because she's Chinese American. She's asked several times "if she speaks English," and someone comments that she's surprised Lily doesn't speak with an accent.

Tommy Andrews, a male impersonator, is a prominent supporting character in the novel. The queer women Kath and Lily get to know at The Telegraph Club are college students, artists, and sales clerks. Some wear cocktail dresses to the club while other trousers, vests, and ties. Lily and Kath's high school has a diverse student body ("Chinese, Italians, Negroes and Caucasians"). Students mingle freely at a school dance but when dancing begins, they never cross racial lines to find a partner. Students are still talking about the scandal that erupted when a Chinese boy began dating a Negro girl.