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Originally published in 1984, this classic dystopian trilogy is a testament to the power of language and women's collective action.
In 2205, the Nineteenth Amendment has long been repealed and women are only valued for their utility. The Earth's economy depends on an insular group of linguists who "breed" women to be perfect interstellar translators until they are sent to the Barren House to await death. But instead, these women are slowly creating a language of their own to make resistance possible. Ignorant to this brewing revolution, Nazareth, a brilliant linguist, and Michaela, a servant, both seek emancipation in their own ways. But their personal rebellions risk exposing the secret language, and threaten the possibility of freedom for all.
In 2205, the Nineteenth Amendment has long been repealed and women are only valued for their utility. The Earth's economy depends on an insular group of linguists who "breed" women to be perfect interstellar translators until they are sent to the Barren House to await death. But instead, these women are slowly creating a language of their own to make resistance possible. Ignorant to this brewing revolution, Nazareth, a brilliant linguist, and Michaela, a servant, both seek emancipation in their own ways. But their personal rebellions risk exposing the secret language, and threaten the possibility of freedom for all.
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Reviews
"Suzette Haden Elgin's Native Tongue trilogy, a classic text of angry feminism, is also an exemplary experiment in speculative fiction, deftly and implacably pursuing both a scientific hypothesis and an ideological hypothesis through all their social, moral, and emotional implications."
Ursula K. Le Guin, author of The Left Hand of Darkness
"Suzette Haden Elgin's Native Tongue. . . records female tribulation in a world where . . . women have no public rights at all. Elgin's heroines do, however, have one set of weapons-words of their own."
Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar, The New York Times Book Review
"Native Tongue brings to life not only the possibility of a women's language, but also the rationale for one. . . [It is] a language that can bring to life concepts men have never needed, have never dreamed of-and thus change the world. Elgin never makes the mistake of easy utopianism or over-optimism. Her women revel in patience."
Voice Literary Supplement
Extended Details
- SeriesNative Tongue #1