Nonwhite and Woman
131 Micro Essays on Being in the World
- 2022 INDIES Finalist
- Finalist, Multicultural (Adult Nonfiction)
Edited by Darien Hsu Gee and Carla Crujido, Nonwhite and Woman is an intimate, honest collection of microessays by women of color.
These 131 essays distill the life experiences of one hundred women authors and poets. They spotlight the challenges of living in a society that discriminates against women and people of color, too, while naming the cultural and historical commonalities shared by marginalized communities.
Addressing themes of motherhood, daughterhood, racism, gender discrimination, erasure, and cultural clashes, these are stories of fighting for survival. Each entry is 300 words or less, forcing its story into focus. Julie Hakim Azzam’s “How to Erase an Arab” addresses the heartbreak of having fled a war that nobody seems to care about, while Toni Jensen’s “Women in the Fracklands” highlights violence against Native women.
Elsewhere, Kimberly Blaeser’s “Living Brave” focuses on the dilemma of choosing between her daughter’s joy at playing T-ball with a team, and dealing with the fact that the team had chosen a name that was offensive to Native Americans. And Alyssa Jocson Porter’s “Collector’s Item” concerns a special edition Filipina Barbie doll that is too rare of an item to be used as a toy.
The contributors are an illustrious crowd of creators from all backgrounds; the author biographies at the end of each essay are as fascinating as the essays themselves. The anthology demonstrates the power and accomplishments of its distinguished contributors, who represent immigrant communities from all over the world, as well as Indigenous nations from the North American continent and Hawai’i.
Nonwhite and Woman is an intimate essay collection whose contributors discuss carving out living spaces in a hostile world.
Reviewed by
Erika Harlitz Kern
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
