Linea Nigra
-
- $10.99
-
- $10.99
Publisher Description
“Eminently worthy of acclaim.” —Vogue (The Best Books of 2022 So Far)
An intimate exploration of motherhood, Linea Nigra approaches the worries and joys of childbearing from a diverse range of inspirations and traditions, from Louise Bourgeois to Ursula K. Le Guin to the indigenous Nahua model Luz Jiménez. Part memoir and part manifesto, Barrera’s singular insights, delivered in candid prose, clarify motherhood while also cherishing the mysteries of the body.
Writing through her first pregnancy, birthing, breastfeeding, and young motherhood, Barrera embraces the subject fully, making lucid connections between maternity, earthquakes, lunar eclipses, and creative labor. Inspired by the author’s own mother’s painting practice, Linea Nigra concludes with an impassioned call: childbearing is art, and art is childbearing.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Barrera (On Lighthouses) offers a moving study of pregnancy, family, art, and loss in this showstopping essay. Told in small fragments that cover the arc of her pregnancy, birth, and nursing of son Silvestre, Barrera interweaves her grandmother's history as a doula and her mother's career as an artist with the changes wrought on her own body. Barrera powerfully captures the spectrum of feelings childbearing provokes, "when weariness and joy are mingled with a love so great it's almost agonizing," and confronts the loss and fear that shade "that simple, clear, almost ridiculous happiness." She refers to two major losses, the earthquake that struck Mexico City in 2017 while she was pregnant, and her mother's ovarian cancer discovered after Barrera's son was born. Along the way, Barrera draws on the work of such writers as Adrienne Rich and Rivka Galchen, artists including Frida Kahlo, and photographer Tina Modotti. Barrera's voice is meditative, bolstered by poetic turns of phrase, precise language, and fresh metaphors. "It's impossible to be original when you write about being a mother," Barrera reflects, though her own originality is striking. This beautiful meditation is thick with profound insights. Photos.
