Lives of Girls and Women

Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to murder, death by suicide and suicidal ideation, and sexual abuse, including sexual interactions between an adult and a young teenager. The source text also includes outdated and offensive language surrounding race and mental health conditions that are reproduced only via quotations.

Del Jordan serves as the protagonist and narrator of each story in the collection. Her narration provides a dual-sided perspective of both child and adult, not only because the collection spans her childhood through adulthood, but also due to her reflective tone, which indicates that she tells her story later in life and not as it happens. For example, she relays details such as her experiences at Uncle Benny’s house with a youthful curiosity—as evident in her intrigue at the newspaper he reads—while providing context that a child likely would not, such as noting that Uncle Benny is not actually her uncle. Much of Del’s characterization comes from her observations and perspective on others and the world around her. Early in the text, Del is characterized by her curiosity, reading anything she can get her hands on and advancing