Linea Nigra
by
87/99
Critics' Rating Index
67/99
Readers' Rating Index
n/a
Scholars' Citation Index
51/99
Volume of Reviews
36/99
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About This Book
Simultaneously a work of collaboration between mother and child and a diary of worry and joy, Linea Nigra is an intimate exploration of childbearing from the celebrated author of On Lighthouses. Drawing from a wide range of inspirations and traditions, from Louise Bourgeois to Ursula K. Le Guin to the influential indigenous Nahua model Luz Jiménez, Barrera's treatise is as philosophical as it is candid. It is a book that clarifies motherhood, but also celebrates the mysteries of the body—like the linea nigra, the black line, itself. Writing over the course of her first pregnancy, birthing, breastfeeding, and young motherhood, Barrera embraces her subject fully. She intersperses notes from her reading life, making lucid connections between maternity and earthquakes, lunar eclipses, plants, and animals. She sends out an impassioned call for a great proliferation of pregnancy books: for more writing by the expectant; for a canon and a counter-canon of motherhood prose—each of them a shrine and generous guide to all of these radical acts.
Reviews
"If writing about motherhood is, as Barrera claims, destined to be unoriginal, she has nonetheless conceived a book which pushes cultural conversations about motherhood forward."
"a refreshingly different take on traditional what-to-expect titles for mothers-to-be ..."
"Rather than adhering to a traditional narrative structure, the author follows her trains of thought wherever they take her, and readers will be happy to tag along ..."
"Barrera's voice is meditative, bolstered by poetic turns of phrase, precise language, and fresh metaphors."
"Despite the minimalist form that the brain fog of pregnancy might necessitate, Barrera's effect is expansive, foregrounding her identity as a person of color among predominantly white and middle-class narratives ..."
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