Firstborn Girls

A Memoir

De: Bernice L. McFadden

Narrado por: Robin Miles, Bernice L. McFadden

From award-winning author and creative writing professor at Tulane University comes an intimate and powerful memoir exploring inherited trauma, family secrets, and the enduring bonds of love between mothers and daughters.

On her second birthday in 1967, Bernice McFadden died in a car crash near Detroit, only to be resuscitated after her mother pulled her from the flaming wreckage. Firstborn Girls traces her remarkable life from that moment up to the publication of her first novel, Sugar.

Growing up in 1980s Brooklyn, Bernice finds solace in books, summer trips to Barbados, and boarding school to escape her alcoholic father. Discovering the works of Alice Walker and Toni Morrison, she finally sees herself and her loved ones reflected in their stories of “messy, beautiful, joyful Black people.”

Interwoven with Bernice's personal journey is her family's history, beginning with her four-times enslaved great-grandmother Louisa Vicey Wilson in 1822 Hancock County, Georgia. Her descendants survived Reconstruction and Jim Crow, joined the Great Migration, and mourned Dr. King’s assassination during the Civil Rights Movement. These women's wisdom, secrets, and fierce love are passed down like Louisa's handmade quilt.

A memoir of many threads, Firstborn Girls is an extraordinarily moving portrait of a life shaped by family, history, and the drive to be something more.

Reseñas de la Crítica

Praise for Firstborn Girls

“McFadden’s voice is sincere and moving, both on the page and in the audiobook, which the author narrates herself. This memoir is a treasure.”
—Elle, "Best Books of Spring"

“In [McFadden’s] first work of nonfiction, she reveals the equally complicated truth of her own history, depicting the fierce and flawed women of her family with both compassion and rage.”
—Oprah Daily

“A distinguished novelist explores the history that shaped her and the women in her family. . . . A powerful, richly tapestried book about race, history, love, and the healing power of the written word.”
—Kirkus

“Novelist McFadden delivers the captivating, multigenerational stories of her family in a poignant memoir.”
—Booklist

“In her remarkable memoir, Bernice McFadden revisits the chaos of girlhood and her journeys as a mother, daughter, and writer, all beneath the specter of white supremacy, patriarchy, and domestic violence. Hailing from generations of hard-loving, bold, flawed Black women, McFadden’s recounting of their lives and intimacies is masterful and mesmerizing. Fueled by compassion and anger, resilience and curiosity, McFadden reveals family secrets, strivings, and struggles, against the backdrop of our country’s long legacy of racial injustice. Revelatory and enthralling, Firstborn Girls is an absolute treasure.”
—Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies

"Firstborn Girls does what Bernice McFadden does better than absolutely everybody, it takes you on a journey through the ages that makes you feel all of your feelings unabashedly. What makes it more special in her first non-fiction book is that it's her story, her real, lived experience that she has boldly invited us to journey alongside her. Her ability to tell a story makes it one of the most engrossing memoirs I have read in a long time and allows you to forget that it is the real life of a family with such a rich and interesting history. People will talk about these Firstborn Girls for years to come!"
—Tarana Burke, activist and author of Unbound

“Firstborn Girls, Bernice McFadden’s riveting memoir, cements her position as one of America’s most creative and necessary writers. Like Toni Morrison who focused her lens specifically on the lives of Black people, and hence told a universal story, so too does McFadden. With Firstborn Girls she has produced a vital and stunningly gorgeous work, again.”
—Sapphire, New York Times bestselling author of Push and The Kid

First Born Girls

Loved the story subject and how well it flowed. Kept me captivated and intrigued to continue. The voice of the reader was also soothing

Oh What A Read

This book spoke to my soul. I love how she told her truth entwining it with history. I felt her when she said I’m tired of not speaking the truth well something like that and starting speaking about the secrets in her family. Every family has skeletons in their closet. As a child we were took to not repeat anything and not to say what goes on in your home. This memoir was her truth! I love listening to how the narrator made each page come to life. You want be disappointed. A GREAT READ!!!!!

Well done, Bernice...

This story started a little slow but the more I read, the more the story sounded like someone I knew. The author is about 3 years younger than me, so her story touched me, tremdously. The great thing to me, were the facts that were quoted throughout the book. Well done, Bernice! I wish I knew what happened to Robert. Robin Miles is excellent as well.

Best Memoir Ever! Seriously

I loveBernice McFaddens work and this was byfar the best book I had read this year. I felt like I knew all the people she wrote about and could relate. This book caused me to think and act.

Wow! Felt like a movie.

Thank you for sharing so vunerablay and openly. Grateful for your strength and gifts that we get to witness.

Outstanding

this is one of the best memoirs that I've ever read. I felt so attached to the author and all of her family members. fantastic storytelling. Bernice McFadden is one of my favorite authors

Great Read!

This is a deeply honest memoir that often reads like a conversation (I love those). The author gives such a transparent look into her life as the eldest daughter, the pressures of her family and love life, her responsibilities and her journey to becoming a writer. Throughout the book, she displays superb story-telling and vulnerability. This is definitely a well-written story that pulls the reader in and makes one excited for her wins. (And I also remembered seeing her brother on In Living Color and Martin). 😊

Her Story

I related so much to her story. Not so much the family trauma but I guess because we are the same age born the same month just 6 days apart, every referenced memory took me back to were I was or what I was doing during that time in my life; the music, the childhood games, the movies the political stuff, took me back to my memories of that time.

I once had the notion that I wanted to be a writer. I think because I loved books so much. I'd day dream about my book and my characters, but I'd never attempted that dream. I did however; write a couple of black history month plays while in the military and produced a show or two on the base. It was so fulfilling. Maybe if I hadn't spent 22 years in the army, I may have set that as a goal to reach.

The part about going to the office to get public assistance hit me like a brick and brought back a memory, I'd long forgotten. I had my first child at 19 and I hated to ask for help primarily because the way they treat you, but I had to. I'd witnessed that type of behavior from the state employees because I'd been to those offices with my mother while growing up. Like Bernice, I only stayed on assistance 6 months and joined the military,

She has educated me with so much history. Every reference she talked about, such as Palm Sunday or the history of Barbados, I booked marked them and googled them to read more about what was stated in the book.

Great job Ms. McFadden!

Amazing

This book was amazing from beginning to end. This story about first born daughters was so relatable for me .

Great Read

Firstborn Girls is a powerful true story that delves into the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, generational trauma, inherited family secrets, and enduring love. Bernice L. McFadden traces her lineage from her ancestors, some angels, to her own journey into motherhood, crafting a vivid narrative that moves between Detroit, Brooklyn, and Barbados.

More than a traditional memoir, Firstborn Girls reads like a novelized family history—one that captures how the past echoes through generations. It honors the beauty and resilience of Black family life while acknowledging the weight of historical realities, much like a hand-stitched quilt passed lovingly from one generation to the next.

With raw honesty and poignant vulnerability, McFadden opens the door to her life as the eldest daughter, navigating the expectations of family, the nuances of love, and her emergence as a writer. Her storytelling is elegant and deeply personal, inviting readers into an intimate, unforgettable conversation.