Infused with a passion for justice, this sublime, expansive memoir by a Peruvian American feminist will appeal to fans of Crying in H Mart, Nola Face, and How to Raise a Feminist Son. Through braided memories that flash against the present day, Portrait of a Feminist depicts the evolution of Marianna Marlowe’s identity as a biracial and multicultural woman—from her childhood in California, Peru, and Ecuador to her adulthood as an academic, a wife, and a mother. How does the inner life of a feminist develop? How does a writer observe the world around her and kindle, from her earliest memories, a flame attuned to the unjust?
"Feminist is a prismatic word—defined by lived moments and long thought, admonitions of the self and worldly interrogations.
In PORTRAIT OF A FEMINIST, Marianna Marlowe provides a moving, intimate look at her own relationship to both the word and the ideal with grace and vigor, using small moments to illuminate big ideas and the personal to unveil the universal".
"Thoughtful mosaic of a memoir examining a complex life with feminist themes."
"Marlowe’s writing is graceful, with an appealing mix of immediacy and reflection. . . . [S]he brings striking weight to moments that changed her. . . . The wide range of her experience, and her willingness to lean wholeheartedly yet still critically into all of the contexts in which she has found herself, brings both a visceral aesthetic and breadth not typical in American feminist memoir, plus a sense of acceptance of a variety of female points of view and a rejection of simplistic one-true-path thinking . . ."
Marianna Marlowe’s Portrait of a Feminist is a passionate, unapologetic memoir told through essays about the role of feminism in her life and how it shaped her as a daughter, mother, friend, and professional.
Marlowe excels at excavating vulnerable anecdotes from her past and connecting them to larger social issues, writing with candor and tact about sensitive subjects. . . . An inspiring memoir.
"Writing that is both polished yet intimate and human is something that not every author can produce. But in Marianna Marlowe’s Portrait of a Feminist, skillful intimate, human writing makes her entire book, resulting in a rich and inspirational coming-of-age memoir. . . . I believe many women, especially women of color, can appreciate this book. A real and raw read, this memoir can resonate with women everywhere, whether they identify as a feminist or not."
