3 Review(s)

Suits Me: The Double Life of Billy Tipton, by Diane Wood Middlebrook, recounts the life and times of Billy Tipton. Summary of the Book This is a jazz-era biography that describes the life of the jazz performer, Billy Tipton, who played in clubs across the Midwest for about 50 years. It was only after Tipton's death in 1989 was it revealed that the five-times-married father was in real, biologically female! This book depicts the transformation of Dorothy Tipton - from being a white Oklahoman who was not let to play jazz only because she was a girl, to Billy Tipton - a male pianist and bandleader. It traces the life of this roving jazz musician over several decades and through changing constructions of gender. About Diane Middlebrook Diane Middlebrook was an American biographer, teacher, and poet. She taught feminist studies at Stanford University. Middlebrook is famous for the critically acclaimed biographies of Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath.