Zami—that's the name given to the women of Carriacou, who work shoulder to shoulder and live together. Carriacou is an island in the southeastern Caribbean, and also an island of Audre Lorde's imagination. This book is a 'biomythography,' a key text in the memoir genre, telling the story of a young Black woman coming of age in 1950s New York City. Lorde reveals an alternative reality of female development built on the continuity of family traditions and historical past, community, strength, affection, rootedness in the world, and an ethic of care and responsibility. Audre Lorde writes about feminist poetry and the political role of women, but most importantly, she writes about her mother, sisters, friends—all the women who surrounded her and played a vital role in shaping her identity.