Natasha Trethewey's Memorial Drive is a chillingly personal and exquisitely wrought memoir of a daughter reckoning with the brutal murder of her mother at the hands of her former stepfather, and the moving, intimate story of a poet coming into her own in the wake of a tragedy.
We three on the library team love this captivating work of nonfiction and we are not alone! Check out all of this incoming praise:
It has been included in a plethora of 'must-read' book round-ups including Refinery 29, Deep South, Lit Hub, Time, Chicago Tribune, and many more. Essence named it one of "14 Books By Black Authors To Add To Your Bookshelf."
This title was also selected as our Summer 2020 Lead Read by all the HarperCollins sales force.
Check out a few of the many reviews:
"A work of exquisitely distilled anguish and elegiac drama...Through finely honed, evermore harrowing memories, dreams, visions, and musings, Trethewey maps the inexorable path to her mother’s murder.... Trethewey writes, ‘To survive trauma, one must be able to tell a story about it.’ And tell her tragic story she does in this lyrical, courageous, and resounding remembrance."
—Booklist review
"Beautifully composed, achingly sad...This profound story of the horrors of domestic abuse and a daughter’s eternal love for her mother will linger long after the book’s last page is turned."
—Publishers Weekly
"[A] graceful, moving memoir...Delicate prose distinguishes a narrative of tragedy and grief."
—Kirkus Reviews
"A moving, heartbreaking memoir about a traumatic event and the path to healing."
—Library Journal
So much praise for this book. Read more quotes here.
Natasha also wrote a great opinion piece in The New York Times about the Mississippi flag.
Natasha will be the keynote speaker at the 2020 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction Awards that will take place today, July 9th, at 3:00 PM CDT. You can still register for the event until 2:59 PM CDT here.
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A must-read book.
-Lainey
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