book data
1,242 ratings,
4.30
average rating, 115 reviews
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published
December 1st 1983
(first published 1982)
by Crossing Press
binding
Paperback, 256 pages
isbn
0895941228
(isbn13: 9780895941220)
description
Lorde's self-named "biomythography"
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avg 4.30
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
everybody
Audre Lorde recounts the first half of her life in an amazing blend of her own poetry, popular songs, journal entries, and memories that are startling in their exactness and fairness. Her ability to recount her extreme loneliness and desire for companionship at being Black in gay scenes, gay in Black crowds and female and working class in the U.S. Her amazing sympathy for the women and men whom she loved and hurt/was hurt by is a testament to her desire to create great networks and bridges betwe...more
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Read in January, 2001
recommends it for:
Anyone
Audre Lorde's beatiful autobiography of her child- and early-adulthood. She's been prized for her "sensuality" in writing but this is no chicklit - her account of the lesbian bar scene in 1950's America will fascinate anyone interested in these forgotten pockets of culture. After reading it, what most amazed me about her was her unpretensiousness and her willingness to expose herself completely. Few writers have been so insightful when talking about themselves.
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1 comment
recommends it for:
all black lesbians and their allies
this is my favorite audre lorde book. it was so interesting to read about her life growing up in harlem and her coming out process in the 1950s... it explores racism within the gay community, heterosexism and homophobia in society as a whole... and is just an overall great story of a woman's journey of self-discovery. anyone - straight/gay/queer/whatevah - has something to relate to in this book.
AUDRE LORDE is the shiznit!
AUDRE LORDE is the shiznit!
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Read in April, 2003
recommends it for:
All my QOC family *heart* xoxo
Zami is poetry in motion and it never fails to move. Audre Lorde is also another one of my favorite authors (including two I've already mentioned, Alice Walker and Sherman Alexie). Lorde inspires me to be a better person all around becasue as she stumbles and struggles through this book, it is as if you are there with her, making your own strides in the process. I give thanks in Lordes spirit, and for not being afraid to love love love.
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Read in January, 1998
recommends it for:
feminist, people of color, feminists of colore
I'm not sure what I should say about this book, other than that it should be read by every feminist and person of color. It is an excellent book.
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Fabulous autobiographical story. I read it in one day. It made me want to travel to South America and New York City.
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Read in April, 2009
Audre Lorde's "Zami" is a mixed bag of a book, so to speak. A friend warned me that it was amazing until she leaves college in the book, and after that, it's a bit yawn-tastic and circular. I tend to agree with him, though I wouldn't call the second half of the book boring--just less colorful, so to speak, which is funny because it's in the second half that all the love affairs and gay bars and shitty jobs arise. But Lorde's prose is fluid and enjoyable to read, she paints portraits...more
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Read in April, 2009
"After the first week, I wondered if I could stick it out. I thought that if I had to work under those conditions for the rest of my life I would slit my throat. Some mornings, I questioned how I could get through the eight hours of stink and dirt and din and boredom. At 8:00 A.M. I would set my mind for two hours, saying to myself, you can last two hours, and then there will be a coffee break. I'd read for ten minutes, and then I'd set myself for another two hours, thinking, now all right,...more
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Read in November, 2007
If I could give this book 3 1/2 stars, I would. There's no question that Audre Lorde was an incredible writer and innovator. Lorde radicalized feminist and LGBTQ movements by pointing out the systematic racism informing both groups. As a queer woman, she challenged patriarchal and homophobic norms within the Civil Rights and antiracist movements. I've loved her essays and poetry, both of which informed me of a feminism that could transcend the feminisms of Gloria Steinem, Betty Freidan, and ...more
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Read in March, 2009
This is a self-described 'biomythography' of poet Audre Lorde's youth. The book starts out slow and is, at times a bit disturbing, but it gains momentum after the first few chapters. Highlights include beautifully written, colourful descriptions of the New York lesbian scene in the 1950s and poetic, moving accounts of Lorde's many loves. Her 1954 interlude in Mexico was so vibrant and colourful that I wanted to travel there in a time machine.
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Read in March, 2009
I first read this book for college class about the art of autobiography. I picked it up again the other day and was blown away (again) by how unflinchingly honest Lorde is as she recounts her childhood in Harlem and then her struggles fitting in as a black lesbian, trying to bring her different identities together. Her words drip off the page like poetry, rich and sensual and full of wisdom.
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Read in January, 2009
We read passages of this book in my 9th grade english class, which now seems quite radical. Thanks Mrs. Sullivan! I always meant to seek out the book and read the whole thing, and now I have. (this would have been great to read right before or after Diane di Prima's memoir, as they were both in the Branded (a group of women artists from a NY high school) but had such different experiences as women coming of age in the 50s)
Read in February, 2009
A Fantastic autobio of Audre Lorde. I haven't read her since my women's studies days of college, but she is so amazingly fantastic and interesting. A great story of Lorde's life, including her struggles, her loves, and her journey to find herself. Highly recommended.
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Read in November, 1998
I do not exaggerate when I say that this was a life-changing book for me. I read it twice, cover-to-cover at 18 in Cleveland, OH in wintery months. Something like a book-length prose-poem, this "biomythology" remains one of my favorite books.
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Read in January, 2003
A great coming-of-age story about a woman learning to live as a lesbian, stuck between the black and gay communities. This is a book that bears reading by more than just those involved in the communities it depicts, though.
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This book is very amazing. It is a tell of a woman who is trying to find the median between man and woman. All the while narrorating the tells of her lesbian affairs and intriguing us with her intelligence
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Read in January, 2009
Lyrical, poignant, and sexy, Audre Lourde's biomythography is a must read for anyone interested in the intersecting issues of race, gender, and sexuality.
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Read in December, 2008
best best best best best best best book i've read in a really long time. so honest, gut-wrenchingly beautiful, and fierce.
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Read in September, 2004
This book changed my life. It helped mold me in to the person I am today. I thank the person who put it in my hands with all my heart.
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My mom recommended this book...um yeah, it's a "biomythography" by Audre Lorde. It's another book about being gay and black. She seems to have a lot of those... It is very similar to Black Lesbian in White America, because it talks about her loneliness and feeling of isolation. I had a hard time getting through it because it moves so quickly, and yet so slowly chronicling every little detail. It is a lot of information to take in and te pages always seem a lot longer than they actually...more
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