Motherland, Priya Joi
Motherland, Priya Joi
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Motherland
What I’ve Learnt about Parenthood, Race and Identity

Author: Priya Joi

Narrator: Priya Joi

Unabridged: 6 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 03/09/2023


Synopsis

Brought to you by Penguin.

What does it mean to be a parent in a space where you are the minority?

Meandering through a supermarket highway of camembert and baguettes, Priya Joi heard a heart-stopping confession about her daughter's identity that made her entire being implode like a dying star. Confronted with the fact that maybe her daughter was not entirely at peace with her appearance, she suddenly had to grapple not only with motherhood but also how to talk to her kid about race and identity.

In M(other)land, Joi writes powerfully about how her personal and cultural identity intersect with motherhood - and how they inform her identity as a (British-Indian) parent and step-parent. The book is her powerful, witty response to the absence of an inclusive, accessible blueprint for navigating life as a multi-faceted mother. By sharing her own story, she writes into this silence and provides a voice of understanding for all those who fall outside of dominant presentations of 'parenthood' and have never seen themselves or their experiences represented.

M(other)land is a crucial book for anyone trying to navigate the complexities of race and motherhood, who has ever felt 'other', who has struggled to reconcile their past or cultural upbringing with how they raise the next generation. Joi passes on hard-won knowledge that has taken years to learn: the complexity of your identity is just who you are - it's okay to be both, neither, or multiple things at once - instead of fighting it, feeling 'neither' is a strength and a state of mind that you can revel in.

'This is the kind of book I wish I had access to as a young mum' Nadiya Hussain

'A beautifully written memoir and a thought-provoking critical intervention into race and motherhood - we can all learn something from this brilliant must-read book' Julia Samuel, leading British psychotherapist and bestselling author

©2023 Priya Joi (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reviews

Goodreads review by Micky on November 09, 2025

Motherland is written in a straightforward and easy to understand manner, that belies the impact that it presents to the reader. It is a very well crafted book, filled with both fragments of prose, and poetry in varied forms, including haiku. Motherland tells of a never forgotten bond between a daug......more

Goodreads review by Reader Ellen on November 12, 2025

"Motherland" chronicles the decline of a mother and the conflicted emotions of her daughter. Love, grief and hate all wound together for the downward spiral that leads ultimately to her mother's passing. Margaret Kogan uses all methods of poetry: prose, free verse, haiku plus artful placement of wor......more

Goodreads review by Adarsh on December 09, 2025

This is a deeply honest and compassionate song of forgiveness and love for a Mother. The words are surprisingly appropriate; they stir the heart ; they uplift with unsentimental observation. I find quiet inspiration.......more


Quotes

'This is the kind of book I wish I had access to as a young mum'

'A brilliant book not just on parenthood but on what makes us the people we are [...] everyone has something to gain by reading it'

'Priya has written a thought-provoking memoir of being raised between cultures, and how this has impacted her parenting of her daughter'

'We can all learn something from this brilliant must-read book'