Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls

“A vast, arresting story . . . A eulogy and a love song. It's about girls and the women they become. And it's all compulsively readable.” -New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice “The literary equivalent of sucking on a Warhead: at once nostalgically sweet, stingingly sour, and unnervingly satisfying.” -Oprah Magazine “One of the best, most evocative titles of the release season.” -The Millions “Easily one of the best memoirs of the last decade.” -Lit Hub “Haunting . . . Harrowing and charged with sharp edges.” -Esquire, “Best of Spring” “Gripping and gloriously written.” -Elle, “Best of Spring” “An utterly unforgettable debut.” -NYLON “Truly stunning.” -Cosmopolitan “A memoir this fearless is bound to change readers' lives.” -Refinery29 Acclaimed literary essayist T Kira Madden's raw and redemptive debut memoir is about coming of age as a queer, biracial teenager amidst the fierce contradictions of Boca Raton, Florida, where she found cult-like privilege, shocking racial disparities, rampant white-collar crime, and powerfully destructive standards of beauty hiding in plain sight. As a child, Madden lived a life of extravagance, from her exclusive private school to her equestrian trophies and designer shoe-brand name. But under the surface was a wild instability. The only child of parents continually battling drug and alcohol addictions, Madden confronted her environment alone. Facing a culture of assault and objectification, she found lifelines in the desperately loving friendships of fatherless girls. With unflinching honesty and lyrical prose, spanning from 1960s Hawai'i to the present-day struggle of a young woman mourning the loss of a father while unearthing truths that reframe her reality, Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls is equal parts eulogy and love letter. It's a story about trauma and forgiveness, about families of blood and affinity, both lost and found, unmade and rebuilt, crooked and beautiful.