A Life of One's Own: Nine Women Writers Begin Again, by Joanna Biggs.

When I first bought this book last year, I bought it out of a desire to confirm some things I’d seen as pretty resolute about myself: I was—and always would be—a writer, and I was pretty certain I would be alone (that is to say, without romantic partnership) throughout my life. I bought it as a guide, something to show and prove to myself that this idea I was holding was right, and that I could—and would—still be happy throughout it all. By the time I decided to read this book, I was a bit more open-minded about my condition. This aloneness I’d presumed to be destined to have didn’t have to be my fate; it could just be a choice. I could choose at any moment to be alone or not be. I read this book openly, deciding each night that all of these women’s lives could be mine, or not, and by the end of the book, I’d made a decision I could smile at.

I enjoyed the way the author weaved her experiences with those of the women she profiled, and I enjoyed the parallels she drew between her search for fullness and fulfillment and theirs. I resonated with all of the women’s desire for a companionship that felt like freedom, for “wanting to be independent, but still have you [whoever they are] at my elbow.” I learned so much about myself while reading this, which is really just to say I fell in love with reading multiple times, all over again.

Purchase here.

Shonteria Gibson