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Zami

A New Spelling of my Name
By Audre Lorde
Penguin Classics
Series: Penguin Modern Classics
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.4 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 23,264 ratings, 1,838 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Zami by Audre Lorde is a biomythography, a blend of autobiography, myth, and history. It recounts Lorde's experiences growing up as a Black woman in mid-20th century America. The narrative explores themes of identity, race, and sexuality, detailing her journey towards self-acceptance and empowerment.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2400
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate poetic memoirs rich in vivid storytelling and introspection. It blends autobiography with fiction to explore themes of identity, race, sexuality, and the journey towards selfhood, offering a powerful reflection on the complexities of living in diverse cultural landscapes.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

A soaring, sensual coming-of-age novel, by the legendary Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.

If I didn't define myself for myself, I would be crunched into other people's fantasies for me and eaten alive.

A little black girl opens her eyes in 1930s Harlem. Around her, a heady swirl of passers-by, car horns, kerosene lamps, the stock market falling, fried bananas, tales of her parents' native Grenada. She trudges to public school along snowy sidewalks, and finds she is tongue-tied, legally blind, left behind by her older sisters.

On she stumbles through teenage hardships—suicide, abortion, hunger, a Christmas spent alone—until she emerges into happiness: an oasis of friendship in Washington Heights, an affair in a dirty factory in Connecticut, and, finally, a journey down to the heat of Mexico, discovering sex, tenderness, and suppers of hot tamales and cold milk.

This is Audre Lorde's story. It is a rapturous, life-affirming tale of independence, love, work, strength, sexuality and change, rich with poetry and fierce emotional power.

Series: Penguin Modern Classics

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Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Zami by Audre Lorde receives praise for its vivid, candid portrayal of growing up as a Black lesbian feminist in the 1950s. It's celebrated for its exquisite imagery, personal honesty, and ability to resonate deeply with readers. The work is viewed as essential for its exploration of women's relationships and its enduring relevance, echoing strength and authenticity that continues to inspire.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241351086

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 July 2018

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 18.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 239g

Pages: 320

Collections

Audre Lorde Best Sellers at Book Hero Fiction General Fiction Gifts $20-$50 In Stock Books In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics Penguin Classics: General Fiction Series: Penguin Modern Classics

About the Author

Audre Lorde was a writer, feminist and civil rights activist - or, as she famously put it, 'Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet'. Born in New York in 1934, she had her first poem published while she was still in high school. After stints as a factory worker, ghost writer, social worker, X-ray technician, medical clerk, and arts and crafts supervisor, she became a librarian in Manhattan and gradually rose to prominence as a poet, essayist and speaker, anthologised by Langston Hughes, lauded by Adrienne Rich, and befriended by James Baldwin. She was made Poet Laureate of New York State in 1991, when she was awarded the Walt Whitman prize; she was also awarded honorary doctorates from Hunter, Oberlin and Haverford colleges. She died of cancer in 1992, aged 58.

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