The Argonauts
Winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism
A London Guardian Pick of Best Books of the 21st Century
A New York Public Library Staff Pick of Favorite Books of the Last 125 Years
An Esquire Pick of the Best Books of the Decade
A Wired Magazine Pick of Best Nonfiction of the Decade
A BuzzFeed Books Pick of Favorite Books of the Decade
An Autostraddle Pick of Best Queer, Lesbian, Bisexual Books of the Decade
A 2017 Folio Prize Nominee
A New York Times Editor’s Choice
An Audible Editors Top Pick of Favorite Audiobooks
One of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2015
A Paste Magazine Pick of Best Memoirs of the Decade
A Bust Magazine Pick from Carrie Brownstein's Reading List
Vol.1 Brooklyn Pick
Vulture.com Pick
A timely and genre-bending memoir that offers fresh and fierce reflections on motherhood, desire, identity and feminism
At the centre of The Argonauts is the love story between Maggie Nelson and the artist Harry Dodge, who is fluidly gendered. As Nelson undergoes the transformations of pregnancy, she explores the challenges and complexities of mothering and queer family making.
Writing in the tradition of public intellectuals like Susan Sontag, Nelson uses arresting prose even as she questions the limits of language. The Argonauts is an intrepid voyage out to the frontiers of love, language and family.
Praise