Women Writing Resistance

Women Writing Resistance: Essays on Latin America and the Caribbean gathers the voices of sixteen acclaimed writer-activists for a one-of-a-kind collection. Through poetry and essays, writers from the Anglophone, Hispanic, and Francophone Caribbean, including Puertorriqueñas and Cubanas, grapple with their hybrid American political identities. Gloria Anzaldúa, the founder of Chicana queer theory; Rigoberta Menchú, the first Indigenous person to win a Nobel Peace Prize; and Michelle Cliff, a searing and poignant chronicler of colonialism and racism, among many others, highlight how women can collaborate across class, race, and nationality to lead a new wave of resistance against neoliberalism, patriarchy, state terrorism, and white supremacy.

Praise for Women Writing Resistance

“A wonderful compilation of works by Latinx writers commemorating the past and aspiring to change the future.”
—Library Journal

“Bless these voices, these powerhouses of the Americas, my teachers, my heroes. May this book travel near and far and inspire others to resist. Thank you for restoring courage in an era of fear, purpose in a season of confusion, and, in these times of censorship, an obligation to speak.”
—Sandra Cisneros, author of The House on Mango Street

“Women Writing Resistance has been reborn in a crucial time in herstory, as belonging, identity, and what it means to be American have once again taken center stage. . . . Empowering to read and process.”
—Raquel Cepeda, filmmaker and author of Bird of Paradise: How I Became Latina

“Timely, compelling, and nuanced, this anthology invites us to discover what resistance has meant to women and to steward that gift through meaningful action in our own lives.”
—Ashley Perez, author of Out of Darkness

“A big, bold inspiration now. . . .These women will set your soul on fire.”
—Achy Obejas, author of The Tower of Antilles

“A powerful reminder of how much we can learn from listening to each other’s stories . . . .stories that compel, that inspire—stories that need to be heard to envision a more inclusive future.”
—Nicole Caso, director of the Spanish Studies Program, Bard College

Read the Excerpt from Bustle Magazine

Goodreads Reviews

By Mana · ★★★★★ · October 08, 2018

Powerful and inspirational. Absolutely worth a read, especially if you are Latinx, especially if you are a woman, and also if you are neither.  ...more

By Eduvigues · ★★★★★ · December 31, 2020

The poetry in this is my absolute favorite in the whole world. I love the different authors. I love the words used. I love the themes. I love everything about every single poem. They are powerful. Made me stop in my tracks. I enjoyed the short stories as well, but the poems really made this book for  ...more

By Jaime · ★★★★★ · July 19, 2020

A beautiful collection weaving narrative and academic essays into a compelling story of resistance by women for generations in defense of land, culture and autonomy over one’s body.  ...more

By Lindsay · ★★★★☆ · May 12, 2014

My roommate said this was one of the few academic texts he kept from college and encouraged me to read it. Great, quick-reading introductory collection of Latin American and Caribbean women writers, some who I already knew and loved including Jamaica Kincaid, Rigoberta Menchu and Julia Alvarez, and some that were new. Worth reading if you're interested in any of the core subjects or seeing how people write and reclaim their own histories.  ...more

By Lindsey · ★★★★☆ · July 06, 2015

One of the few texts I read for class in college that I have kept and reread. The voices here really resonated with me, and I think of these women often. I'm so glad I read this book.