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Creative Nonfiction

Radical: A Life of My Own

by Xiaolu Guo
$11.90
Radical: A Life of My Own
Radical: A Life of My Own

Memoir intertwining identity, language, and radical self-exploration.

If you’ve ever felt like an outsider or grappled with the idea of belonging, Xiaolu Guo’s "Radical" could resonate deeply with you. It's not just her journey from East to West and back internally; it’s also about the universal quest for self-definition amidst cultural dissonance. This book might intrigue you if you appreciate candid explorations of personal growth and identity, as well as the complexities of balancing different worlds within oneself.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.

Radical: A Life of My Own

by Xiaolu Guo
$11.90
ISBN: 9781529920024
Authors: Xiaolu Guo
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Personal Development, Creative Nonfiction, Biographies & Memoirs
Related Topics: Autobiography, Personal Development, Biography Memoir, Memoir
Goodreads rating: 0.0
(rated by 0 readers)

Description

The world can seem strange and lonely when you step away from your family and everything you have tried to call your own. Yet beauty may also appear. In the autumn of 2019 Xiaolu travelled to New York to take up her position as a visiting professor for a year, leaving her child and partner behind in London. The encounter with American culture and people threatens her sense of identity and throws her into a crisis - of meaning, desire, obligation and selfhood.

This is a memoir about separation - by continents, by language, and from people. It's about being an outsider and the desperate longing to connect. Xiaolu uses her exploration of language (one of the meanings of the word 'radical' is the graphic component, or root, of Chinese characters), and her own life, to create this unique text. At once a memoir, a dictionary, and an ardent love letter, it is an expression of her fascination with Western culture and her nostalgia for Eastern landscapes, and an attempt to describe the space in between. An archive of an artist's search for creative freedom, it is above all else an intimate account of her efforts to carve out a life of her own.

Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

Find out more about our process here.

 

Similar Reads

Memoir intertwining identity, language, and radical self-exploration.

If you’ve ever felt like an outsider or grappled with the idea of belonging, Xiaolu Guo’s "Radical" could resonate deeply with you. It's not just her journey from East to West and back internally; it’s also about the universal quest for self-definition amidst cultural dissonance. This book might intrigue you if you appreciate candid explorations of personal growth and identity, as well as the complexities of balancing different worlds within oneself.

Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.