Mother Island, 9780553387681
Hardcover
A Puerto Rican woman’s journey to reclaim identity and ancestral roots.

Mother Island

a daughter claims puerto rico

$69.46

  • Hardcover

    272 pages

  • Release Date

    19 March 2024

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Summary

Mother Island: A Journey of Self-Discovery and Cultural Reclamation

A searing memoir that explores the institutions that defined a Puerto Rican woman and what she unlearned to rediscover herself. “A lushly written, deeply felt investigation into the meanings of home, lineage and selfhood.” —Melissa Febos, bestselling author of Body Work and *Girlhood*

Growing up in the Midwest, raised by a Puerto Rican mother who was abandoned by her family, Jamie F…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9780553387681
ISBN-10:0553387685
Author:Jamie Figueroa
Publisher:Random House USA Inc
Imprint:Pantheon
Format:Hardcover
Number of Pages:272
Release Date:19 March 2024
Weight:499g
Dimensions:242mm x 164mm x 27mm
What They're Saying

Critics Review

“With a mosaic approach keenly represented by its cover, Jamie Figueroa’s Mother Island is a story of self-creation…a valiant work of cultural excavation, and a deft guide to understanding the narratives that shape us all.”—Elle“A lushly written, deeply felt investigation into the meanings of home, lineage and selfhood—Figueroa thoughtfully examines the contours of what is given to us, & what can be chosen.” —Melissa Febos, bestselling author of Body Work and Girlhood“A memoir of re-assemblage in which fragments of the author’s memories from childhood to the present are collaged to create a receptacle in which Figueroa can recollect, recognize and claim what it means to be Boricua. Figueroa’s text is both lamentation and reclamation. Upon reaching its final pages, one can only imagine her ancestors standing proud, returning with solemn grace the beauty of her collective acknowledgement.”—Myriam J. A. Chancy, author of What Storm, What Thunder and Harvesting Haiti“Mother Island rings with deep vulnerability and compassion. A beautiful poetic book.”—Tiphanie Yanique, Center for Fiction First Novel Prizewinning author of Love and Drowning “A compelling memoir that explores the complexities of identity, heritage, and connection to Puerto Rico….Figueroa’s prose weaves together themes of belonging and self-discovery, creating a narrative that resonates with anyone seeking to understand the intricate ties between personal identity and cultural heritage.”—Hispanic Executive“Poignant and layered…As [Figueroa] recounts unlearning to relearn, she explores motherhood, lineage, legacy and reclamation.”—Ms. Magazine “Figueroa enchantingly shifts and sifts through her memories…her exceptional command of her craft builds narrative tension while granting force to the way her personal history mirrors geopolitical devastation and imbuing her voice with the power of one no longer unclaimed by, but ready to lay claim to. A searching and lyrical memoir packed with nuance and depth.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About The Author

Jamie Figueroa

Jamie Figueroa is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Brother, Sister, Mother, Explorer (Catapult 2021), which was short-listed for the Reading the West Book Award and long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, was an Indie Next pick, a Good Morning America must-read book of the month, and was named a most anticipated debut of the year by Bustle, Electric Literature, The Millions, and Rumpus. A member of the faculty in the MFA Creative Writing program at the Institute of American Indian Arts, Figueroa has published writing in American Short Fiction, Emergence Magazine, Elle, McSweeney’s, Agni, The New York Times, and The Boston Review, among other publications. A Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation (VONA) alum, she received a Truman Capote Award and was a Bread Loaf Rona Jaffe Scholar. Boricua (Afro-Taíno) by way of Ohio, Figueroa is a longtime resident of northern New Mexico.

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