A truly heart-wrenching tale of an African American woman struggling with the loss of her mother and the absence of love in her life. ( )

Kincaid's writng saved this book for me. I am aware that life is very difficult for both women and people who have been colonized. However, knowing so many details of her mother's life did not teach me anything. ( )

Perhaps I approached this book with too high expectations, hoping to immerse myself in an island culture as it struggled with the impact of colonialism. Yes, you could find that in the story, but I didn't find myself drawn to any of the characters. Perhaps a different book would be a better starting point into Kincaid's writing. ( )

"My impulse is to the good, my good is to serve myself. I am not a people, I am not a nation. I only wish from time to time to make my actions be the actions of a people, to make my actions be the actions of a nation."

I started this one on my vacation to Costa Rica and I have been thinking about it ever since. The Autobiography of My Mother by Jamaica Kinkaid is haunting, introspective and thought provoking. The writing cuts deep to the core. As a reader you are challenged to contemplate on the writer's innermost thoughts and process the historical context that has contributed to some of her beliefs and shapes this story.

Kinkaid's portrayal of Xuela, the protagonist, as flawed but not devoid of deep introspection and questioning was my favorite aspect of this character study. It starts off as a story about grief. Xuela's mother dies during childbirth so she never gets to meet or bind with her. However, the grief of love that develops stays with her & shapes her relationships with people & ties her closely to her island's history with colonization. Even Xuela questions her grief all the time because she doesn't understand how she can feel such great loss over someone she never met. She questions what love is and what it feels like. It makes her an observer of life at times, rather than a participant. This very grief also makes her have fierce autonomy over her own body, shapes her feminism, & keeps her from getting too close to anyone.

Kindkaid masterfully tackles these main themes:
🌴 lasting impacts of colonization in the Caribbean
🌴 autonomy over sex & female bodies & ability to birth
🌴 the exploration of the meaning of love
🌴 grief from the womb, absent parents, lack of love
🌴 how absence of love shapes people
🌴 mixed identities and power
🌴 older men preying on young girls
🌴 how grief makes you an observer

Ultimately the writing keeps you hooked. It was keeps you moving forward through the darkness of this book. Kinkaid makes excellent choices in how she tells this story & it is one that you have to experience personally in order to fully understand how powerful it is. Every line is intentional & makes you question what you think you know. ( )

Amazing when you think of the symbolism and weight behind the words, but the words themselves, and the narrator saying them, were insufferable. ( )