Name: illa's review of Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden
Item: Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls
Rating: 5
Author: illa

T Kira Madden

“Frank and funny and powerful and surprising. An utterly gorgeous debut.”-Lauren Groff One of the most anticipated books of 2019--Electric Literature, Entertainment Weekly, Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, The Millions, Hyphen, Lit Hub, Nylon, The AV Club, The Advocate, The Rumpus, The Week, Books are Magic Acclaimed literary essayist T Kira Madden's raw and redemptive debut memoir is about coming of age and reckoning with desire as a queer, biracial teenager amidst the fierce contradictions of Boca Raton, Florida, a place where she found cult-like privilege, shocking racial disparities, rampant white-collar crime, and powerfully destructive standards of beauty hiding in plain sight. As a child, Madden lived a life of extravagance, from her exclusive private school to her equestrian trophies and designer shoe-brand name. But under the surface was a wild instability. The only child of parents continually battling drug and alcohol addictions, Madden confronted her environment alone. Facing a culture of assault and objectification, she found lifelines in the desperately loving friendships of fatherless girls. With unflinching honesty and lyrical prose, spanning from 1960s Hawai'i to the present-day struggle of a young woman mourning the loss of a father while unearthing truths that reframe her reality, Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls is equal parts eulogy and love letter. It's a story about trauma and forgiveness, about families of blood and affinity, both lost and found, unmade and rebuilt, crooked and beautiful.

A Memoir

Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls

Katie OConnell

“A vast, arresting story . . . A eulogy and a love song. It's about girls and the women they become. And it's all compulsively readable.” -New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice “The literary equivalent of sucking on a Warhead: at once nostalgically sweet, stingingly sour, and unnervingly satisfying.” -Oprah Magazine “One of the best, most evocative titles of the release season.” -The Millions “Easily one of the best memoirs of the last decade.” -Lit Hub “Haunting . . . Harrowing and charged with sharp edges.” -Esquire, “Best of Spring” “Gripping and gloriously written.” -Elle, “Best of Spring” “An utterly unforgettable debut.” -NYLON “Truly stunning.” -Cosmopolitan “A memoir this fearless is bound to change readers' lives.” -Refinery29 Acclaimed literary essayist T Kira Madden's raw and redemptive debut memoir is about coming of age as a queer, biracial teenager amidst the fierce contradictions of Boca Raton, Florida, where she found cult-like privilege, shocking racial disparities, rampant white-collar crime, and powerfully destructive standards of beauty hiding in plain sight. As a child, Madden lived a life of extravagance, from her exclusive private school to her equestrian trophies and designer shoe-brand name. But under the surface was a wild instability. The only child of parents continually battling drug and alcohol addictions, Madden confronted her environment alone. Facing a culture of assault and objectification, she found lifelines in the desperately loving friendships of fatherless girls. With unflinching honesty and lyrical prose, spanning from 1960s Hawai'i to the present-day struggle of a young woman mourning the loss of a father while unearthing truths that reframe her reality, Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls is equal parts eulogy and love letter. It's a story about trauma and forgiveness, about families of blood and affinity, both lost and found, unmade and rebuilt, crooked and beautiful.

illa

This book is unflinchingly honest, heartbreaking, and one of the loveliest memoirs I have read. The author spares no details and accounts her experiences excellently. With every word I could feel the emotions and memories she poured into this. It is deeply personal and I cried as I saw her journey through life. I won't be forgetting about this one for a long while now.

Incredible. Having such a similar childhood and adolescence in South Florida at the same time as the author, this really hit home in a big way; completely relatable no matter where you're from.

Caroline Lewicki

I have officially been floored by a book. Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls is a beautiful memoir told in little vignettes of life. You watch the ways in which so many messy family stories shaped the author into who she is. How she could still have so much love for her parents, despite their struggles and flaws. I was already in love with this book and then the ending comes and absolutely twists you into pieces. I wish I could read this for the first time all over again.

Cola

This was probably one of the best memoirs I've read in a long time

Rachel Benton

I'm Judging in the Booktube prize. I will give rating and thoughts around sometime in late March and April
https://www.booktubeprize.org/

Katie OConnell &
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden

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Katie OConnell &Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden

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Katie OConnell &
Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden