Peninsula of Lies: A True Story of Mysterious Birth and Taboo Love

I loved Edward Ball's first literary efforts, Slaves in the Family and The Sweet Hell Inside. They both touched my heart in a way that few books have managed. So I ordered Peninsula of Lies: A Story of Mysterious Birth and Taboo Love before it was even published, anticipating great things. I must admit that I was rather disappointed. Ball follows the life of Gordon Hall, who claimed his gender was misidentified at birth. Gordon (Dawn) ends up in the 1960's living in Charleston, SC, and the book traces his sex change operation, his marriage to a black man, and the birth of a daughter.Ball sets out to answer some troubling questions including: Was Gordon/Dawn really misidentified as a male at birth? What exactly did her surgery entail? Was her daughter really her biological daughter? And if not, where did she come from? Ball conducted lots of research including interviews with family members, friends, and even some of Dawn's doctors. As a result of this research, Ball gives us a crash course on sexual deviations including the difference between homosexuals, transsexuals, transvestites and hermaphrodites. He also recounts the history of sex reassignments (sex change operations) in the 20th century. And in the process, he unravels the mystery about the controversial figure.Before Peninsula of Lies was even published, it was touted as Charleston's answer to John Berendt's bestseller, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Unfortunately, Berendt fans will be greatly disappointed. Midnight has increased overnight tourism in Savannah by tens of millions of visitors, as readers flock to the city to see the various sites mentioned in the book (especially the Mercer House). Peninsula of Lies will have a fraction of that impact on Charleston, if any. I can't envision Peninsula of Lies tour buses roaming the streets of Charleston. The only site I'd make an effort to see is Dawn's Society Street house.Still, the story is quirky and interesting. Dawn was a published author, and wrote a number of books including biographies of Princess Margaret and Lady Bird Johnson. She also inherited a fortune from Isabel Whitney, but ended up spending it all rather quickly. There are a good many photographs and drawings that are quite good including photos from her wedding, of her daughter, her Charleston house, and her pets. However, this book did not live up to expectations, and it is definitely not another Midnight. It also doesn't come close to Ball's first two efforts.

I found reading this an exercise in frustration. The author meanders around the essential point of the story -- gender/sexual identity of Gordon/Dawn. He is very coy about the question of hemaphrodite vs. transgendered, dragging it along until the very end when we discover that he has talked to Gordon/Dawn's doctor, and so of course knew whether Dawn was a hermaphrodite, a woman mistakenly assigned to male at birth, or a male-to-female transsexual.In the process Mr. Ball makes some digressions to talk about genetic disorders that can result in indeterminant sexuality. Unfortunately, his presentation of these conditions was very superficial and contained errors. The lack of depth and acuracy I found here made me doubt much of the rest of the book, which seems to me to be largely cobbled together from hearsay.There's an interesting story here, about a fascinating and unusual individual who reinvented herself multiple times and courted controversy in almost everything she did. I wish it had a better treatment.

I really liked this book. I couldn't put it down and stayed up until 4:00am to finish it one sitting. I found the relationship between Dawn and Natasha extremely moving. They had a mother / daughter love and devotion to each other that would, and did, survive anything that life had to throw at them, which was a lot! Natasha's care giving of Dawn at the end of her life is what love is all about. Anyone who thinks that a transsexual can't make a fit parent should read this book.

Absolutely haunting and fascinating exploration of a fiercely singular and mysterious life, as well as the almost-mythical social setting in which these amazing events occur. Expertly researched and written. Almost impossible to put down. Highly recommended in all respects. A book I will purchase and send to friends.

A tired, repetitive & bitchy book about a fascinating subject. How unfortunate that this writer was the one to get to this story first.

Good

Talk about a person who totally believed their own truth...I'd never heard of Gordon Hall before this book, but the blurb intrigued me. There were plenty of times when I seriously questioned most all of Gordon/Dawn's motives and stories. Why? Because it just seemed so far fetched. But, this did make the book an intriguing read. I had to know what would happen and how Ball would unravel this story. It's really twisted, but totally worth the trip. Ball's storytelling is fluid and kept me needing to know what would happen. How would things turn out for Dawn and her family? How would she explain it all away?I have to give Dawn this: she was a trend-setter and a vanguard. To do what she did in the times she did them should grant her some respect. By the time I finished the book, I pitied her, but respected her chutzpah.Good read, finished it in a matter of hours. Worth going back for if only for the interesting side stories.Nab a copy.

A good read about a very interesting person!I couldn't put it down and it really made me think.I enjoyed the style of writing.By the end I felt quite sad at how things worked out.

Arrived quickly and one of the most bizarre memoirs I’ve read, worth a read

Its an ok read .

Although the subject is enticing and sometimes holds attention, the info was sketchy at best and not up to the standard of Ball's othergreat non-fiction books. I have read his "Slaves in the Family" twice and now am devouring "The Inventor and the Tycoon." I guess that is why I had high expectations for this book and was disappointed