Nolan Publishes New York Times Review of “Witches“
Rachel Nolan, Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, has published a New York Times review of Brenda Lozano’s Witches, which weaves together two parallel narratives to offer a generous and distinctly female way of understanding the complex world we inhabit.
In her review, titled “The Healer, the Journalist and the Murder That Brought Them Together,” Nolan discusses how Lozano utilizes two distinct voices – one Spanish-speaking, from the capital, righteously angry about gender violence, and the other leaving aside the “government’s tongue” in favor of her own, matter-of-factly explaining life in rural Mexico. She comments about how the author is able to use these distinct voices to show both the similarities and differences in societal challenges facing female-presenting individuals.
An excerpt:
Though the book chronicles violence against women and those who present as women, it highlights, in both rural and urban communities, an atmosphere of freedom and mobility that is a pleasure to read about. Both of these very different women – the curandera and the journalist – have many people in their lives, especially sisters, who heal and support them even in a hostile world.
The full review can be read on The New York Times‘ website.
Rachel Nolan is a historian of modern Latin America. Her research focuses on political violence, Central American civil wars, childhood and the family, historical memory, and U.S.-Latin American relations. She is currently completing a book manuscript on the history of international adoption from Guatemala. Read more about Professor Nolan on her faculty profile.