Notes to a Black Woman by Ega, Francoise
Notes to a Black Woman by Ega, Francoise

Notes to a Black Woman

The extraordinary testimony of a daring Caribbean writer-activist, determined to expose injustice and defend the dignity of...
$40.00 USD
$71.99 USD
$40.00 USD
Please hurry! Only 72 left in stock
Author: Francoise Ega
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Subtotal: $40.00
Notes to a Black Woman by Ega, Francoise

Notes to a Black Woman

$71.99 $40.00
Notes to a Black Woman by Ega, Francoise

Notes to a Black Woman

$71.99 $40.00
Author: Francoise Ega
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Description

The extraordinary testimony of a daring Caribbean writer-activist, determined to expose injustice and defend the dignity of migrant workers

In the 1960s, hundreds of women traveled from French colonies in the West Indies to become domestic workers for white families in France. Lured by the French government with the false promise of economic opportunity, these women instead found themselves subjected to racial discrimination, deplorable living conditions, overwork, and no pay until they "earned back" the cost of the trip to France.

After hearing the shocking stories of Caribbean domestic workers, Françoise Ega took a position as a cleaning woman in wealthy French homes in order to chronicle these abuses. Structured as a collection of unsent letters to the Brazilian writer Carolina Maria de Jesus, Notes to a Black Woman weaves the story of Ega's experiences in France with her memories of Martinique, her observations on the joys and tribulations of family life, and her reflections on the power of the written word to reveal the discomfiting truths behind the facade of bourgeois French society.

Composed on her bus commutes and by candlelight at her kitchen table while her five children slept, Notes to a Black Woman is a piercing denunciation of the legacies of colonialism and slavery, a wholesale rejection of alienation, and an intimate archive of friendship, joy, solidarity, motherhood, and hope.



Author: Francoise Ega
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: 02/10/2026
Pages: 248
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 7.60h x 5.00w x 0.70d
ISBN: 9780300270297

About the Author
Françoise Ega (1920-1976) was an Afro-Martinican writer and labor activist who lived and worked in France and several African countries. She is the author of two novels, Le temps des Madras (1966) and the posthumously published L'alizé ne soufflait plus (2000). Emma Ramadan is an educator and a prizewinning literary translator from French. Her translations include works by Maud Ventura, Meryem Alaoui, and Abdellah Taïa.
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review