Girl, Woman, Other

Bernardine Evaristo’s polyphonic novel of modern Britain and womanhood, Girl, Woman, Other, won the 2019 Booker Prize. Evaristo was the first Black woman to receive this literary prize for books written in the English language. Employing an experimental, poetic form, the novel follows several generations of mainly Black, British women who interrogate the intersections of identity, Human Connectivity and Interdependence, Diaspora in Great Britain, and The Impact of Family Legacy. Girl, Woman, Other is Evaristo’s eighth book. The novel’s title likely references writer and filmmaker Trinh T. Minh-Ha’s book on feminism and postcoloniality called Woman, Native, Other.

Content Warning: The source material and guide contain references to racism, anti-LGBTQ+ bias, domestic abuse, rape, addiction, and the history of slavery in the United States.

Plot Summary

In Chapter 1 of Girl, Woman, Other, queer theater director Amma Bonsu prepares for the opening of her acclaimed new play, The Last Amazon of Dahomey. As she walks to the National Theatre in London, she reflects on the years of struggle she endured as a young Black actress, the challenges of starting her own theater company, and the surprising joys of motherhood.