T Kira Madden

One of the most anticipated books of 2019–Electric Literature, Entertainment Weekly, Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, The Millions, Hyphen, Lit Hub, Nylon, The AV Club, The Advocate, The Rumpus, The Week, Books are Magic

Acclaimed literary essayist T Kira Madden’s raw and redemptive debut memoir is about coming of age and reckoning with desire as a queer, biracial teenager amidst the fierce contradictions of Boca Raton, Florida, a place 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.

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In conversation with Jaquira Díaz

Jaquira Díaz is the recipient of two Pushcart Prizes and fellowships from the Kenyon Review, the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, the MacDowell Colony, and the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference. She is a visiting assistant professor in the MFA program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Consulting Editor at the Kenyon Review. Her work appears in The Best American Essays, Rolling Stone, the Guardian, the Fader, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and other publications. Her memoir, Ordinary Girls, is forthcoming in October from Algonquin Books.

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About the Author:

“Frank and funny and powerful and surprising. An utterly gorgeous debut.”-Lauren Groff

“One of the best, most evocative titles of the release season.” ―The Millions

“Gorgeous . . . [Madden’s] story is filled with desire and loss, love and forgiveness, and it’s an utterly unforgettable debut.” ―NYLON

“Harrowing and sad and funny and beautifully written. [Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls] inspires rage and also care. I keep stopping to admire sentences, word choices, deft slips in time.” ―Emily Temple, Lit Hub, “Lit Hub Recommends”

“A deeply courageous work that chronicles one artist’s jagged-and surprisingly beautiful-path to wholeness. Affecting, fearless, and unsparingly honest.” ―Kirkus

“Madden brings her sharply funny voice to her new book, which humanely explores her coming of age as a biracial queer teenager in Boca Raton, Florida, and the climate of abuse and addiction that surrounded her.” ―Entertainment Weekly, “Most Anticipated Books of 2019”

“A riveting and deeply personal work that captures the loneliness and desperation of a girl coming to terms with her individuality and the shortcomings of her own family.” ―The Advocate