Biography

Gringa is a touching memoir about a complicated childhood. Melissa Hart’s life story involves a wealthy, white-bread father, a Bohemian lesbian mother, and Latino culture in 1970s Oxnard—a flurry of political, economic, and racial issues, all of which shape and challenge Hart’s identity as she struggles to find herself (including a stint at UCSC) and understand her world. This is a tender, thought- provoking, and powerful read. —M.M.

Mary Karr has always had a singular voice that is riveting, if not shocking. From her bestselling The Liar’s Club, Karr established a prerequisite for the modern reader about the genre of memoir. Brutally honest, almost bitterly reflective, yet somehow simultaneously filled with affection for her younger self, The Liar’s Club immersed the reader in the disjointed toxicity of Karr’s childhood life in Texas. Now in Lit, Karr tells the story of her not-so-recent past, the demons that caught up with her, and how she got away. Edgy, funny, nerve-racking, and nothing but real, Karr lets us in on her journey from resting on the brink to climbing back toward faith, healing, and motherhood renewed. This memoir is touching—but sharply and deftly so. —S.M.C.