A review by casskrug
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name by Audre Lorde

5.0

what a stunningly detailed and reflective account of audre lorde’s childhood and young adulthood. so expansive that i lack the ability to write about it properly. she talks with such raw honesty about how her identity as a black lesbian left her to face an intersectional and compounded feeling of loneliness in the 1950s. even though she is describing such specific experiences in her life that are very different from my own, i savored every moment of this book because of its display of strength and deep self reflection. the way that lorde writes about navigating the world of female love (romantic, familial, AND platonic), racism, her best friend’s suicide, her own abortion, and the way she had to build her own life as a young woman, is harrowing and emotional. if you enjoy personal writing you need to read this because it is such an achievement in the genre. i always see praise for her shorter nonfiction (which i can’t wait to get to now) but i haven’t seen nearly enough about this book. definitely a new all time favorite.