Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton Hardcover – January 1, 1998 by Diane Wood Middlebrook 
 
The acclaimed author of Anne Sexton: A Biography, a nominee for the National Book Awards, tells the remarkable story of Billy Tipton, a female jazz musician who lived as a man for nearly fifty years. 40,000 first printing. Tour.
 
From Library Journal
Middlebrook (Anne Sexton: A Biography, Houghton, 1991) will fascinate another large audience with her exhaustive account of the life of jazz musician Billy Tipton. Born Dorothy Tipton in Oklahoma in 1914, and reborn as Billy Tipton in 1933, Billy passed as a man until death at age 74. Suits Me uses family interviews, anecdotes from musicians, jazz fans, lovers ("wives"), and friends to tell the story of a brilliant deception. The sensitive storytelling reveals thought-provoking perspectives about gender and the traditional American family, while capturing the social history of traveling jazz bands for 40 years. The family photographs and letters are particularly noteworthy in the exploration of Billy's life between the sexes, and there are extensive, enlightening notes and a bibliography. Highly recommended for academic and public libraries and/or libraries with women's studies or gay/lesbian/bisexual collections.-?Lisa N. Johnston, Sweet Briar Coll. Lib., VACopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
 
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