COMING FEBRUARY 2025

Infused with a passion for justice, this sublime, expansive memoir by a Peruvian American feminist will appeal to fans of Crying in H Mart and How to Raise a Feminist Son.

Through braided memories that flash against the present day, Portrait of a Feminist depicts the evolution of Marianna Marlowe’s identity as a biracial and multicultural woman—from her childhood in California, Peru, and Ecuador to her adulthood as an academic, a wife, and a mother.

How does the inner life of a feminist develop? How does a writer observe the world around her and kindle, from her earliest memories, a flame attuned to the unjust?

With writing that is simultaneously wise and shimmering, nuanced and direct, Marlowe confronts her own experiences with the hallmarks of patriarchy. Interweaving stories of life as the child of a Catholic Peruvian mother and an atheist American father in a family that lived many years abroad, she examines realities familiar to so many of us—unequal marriages, class structures, misogynist literature, and patriarchal religion. Portrait of a Feminist explores the essential questions of feminism in our time: What does it look like to live in defense of feminism? How should feminism be evolving today?

Praise for Portrait of a Feminist

A tale of self-discovery, courage, and liberation, Marianna Marlowe’s spirited assertion of feminism is both timely and inspiring.”—Jasmin Darznik, New York Times best-selling author of The Bohemians

Feminist is a prismatic word—defined by lived moments and long thought, admonitions of the self and worldly interrogations. In Portrait of a Feminist, Marianna Marlowe provides a moving, intimate look at her own relationship to both the word and the ideal with grace and vigor, using small moments to illuminate big ideas and the personal to unveil the universal.”—Beth Kephart, National Book Award Finalist and author of Tomorrow Will Bring Sunday’s News: A Novel

With an appealing mix of immediacy and reflection…[Marlowe] brings striking weight to moments that changed her… Portraits of friends, family, and her younger self are deeply loving if often astutely wry. The wide range of her experience, and her willingness to lean wholeheartedly yet still critically into all of the contexts in which she has found herself, brings both a visceral aesthetic and breadth not typical in American feminist memoir…A thoughtful mosaic of a memoir examining a complex life with feminist themes.”—BookLife Review, EDITOR’S PICK

An engrossing collection of powerful, honest, and tender essays interconnecting the author’s life experiences with a gendered, classed, and multi-ethnic identity. Marlowe takes moments of everyday life and weaves them into thought-provoking, haunting stories that illuminate the joys, challenges, and cultural relevance of being a woman and a feminist today.”—Sonia Daccarett, author of The Roots of the Guava Tree: Growing up Jewish and Arab in Colombia

In Portrait of a Feminist, Marianna Marlowe creates striking scenes that mesmerize the reader, who is caught up in mounting tensions that make the book difficult to put down. Each episode vividly reflects a personal experience while touching on universal themes about the challenges that women face in patriarchal cultures…. Highly recommended for those who love engrossing stories that not only captivate, but also cast light on the unfortunate consequences of gender inequality.”—Barbara Southhard, author of The Pinch of the Crab and Unruly Human Hearts

Marlowe excels at excavating vulnerable anecdotes from her past and connecting them to larger social issues, writing with candor and tact about sensitive subjects. . . . An inspiring memoir.”—Foreword Clarion Reviews

Many women, especially women of color, can appreciate this book. A real and raw read, this memoir can resonate with women everywhere, whether they identify as a feminist or not.”—Memoir Magazine Book Review

A stunning memoir that masterfully weaves together personal history and the broader sociopolitical struggles of feminism. With a voice that is both powerful and intimate, Marlowe invites readers into her multifaceted world as a Peruvian American woman navigating the intersections of race, gender, and culture. Much like Crying in H Mart and How to Raise a Feminist Son, this memoir offers a deeply personal exploration of identity, while grappling with questions that resonate universally.”—Sandy Schnakenburg, author of The Housekeeper’s Secret