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A modern classic of race, labor rights, and lesbian love written “with an authenticity, a force, a caring that deepens and enlarges us" (Tillie Olsen, author of Tell Me A Riddle).
Brought together by the tragic death of an infant, black and white women at a North Carolina textile factory join together to strike against the plant’s unfeeling management. A story of race relations and the power of grassroots organizing, this absorbing novel becomes a love story when two very different women in the group fall for each other. Speaking first to the value of labor and the realities of homophobia and racism, this story also celebrates the transformative power of love in the lives of maginalized women.
Library Journal praised Folly for the “depth and reality of its characters.” And as the Washington Blade said, “this book effectively reminds readers that, although we have made many gains, we have a long way to go.”
—Tillie Olsen, author of Tell Me A Riddle
"What a delight it is to have Folly back in print! Maureen Brady is one of our most original voices. Folly is riveting and inspirational, a heartwarming testimonial to what a few good women can do to make the world less racist, homophobic, and oppressive to women workers. The only true 'folly' is that this fine novel has been unavailable for so long. The new afterword by Bonnie Zimmerman is an excellent addition, which succinctly places the work in both a historical and literary context."
—Karla Jay, co-editor of Lesbian Text and Contexts: Radical Revisions
"In this novel about work and passion Maureen Brady shows us the pride that has helped women survive a society which devalues both women and labor. Economic circumstance can't douse the spark that lights each of her characters' lives. The women bond together for strength, for a better life and for love."
—Jewelle Gomez, author of The Gilda Stories