Last Night at the Telegraph Club

Set in 1954 San Francisco’s Chinatown, Last Night at the Telegraph Club follows seventeen-year-old Lily Hu, who begins to question everything she thought she knew—about herself, her identity, and the world. Drawn by an ad for a male impersonator and nudged by her classmate Kath, Lily steps into the hidden world of queer nightlife, discovering both love and danger in a time of anti-communist hysteria and anti-Asian sentiment. Tender, richly atmospheric, and deeply evocative, Lo’s historical novel weaves first love, cultural tradition, and social tension into a story pulsing with desire and defiance.

~ Included for its luminous sapphic coming-of-age set against real historical resistance—where queer identity, Chinese-American experience, and political tension collide. A beautifully layered romance that brings home both tenderness and radical courage. ~