Cover image taken from Blue Veronika
1999, gouache on Amate paper, 36" x 24," Private collection
GOLEM GIRL: a memoir, by Riva Lehrer
Published by One World, Penguin/Random House
In-store date:
October 6, 2020
Virtual Book Launch:
October 6, 2020, 7PM CST, hosted by Women & Children First
This event includes ASL interpretation and closed captioning.
Artist and scholar Riva Lehrer’s GOLEM GIRL, a memoir in the tradition of Hold Still by Sally Mann and Just Kids by Patti Smith, telling the story of how the writer, born with disabilities, searches for a livable, subversive identity in a society afraid of strange bodies, ultimately becoming an innovative painter whose work honors beauty of all kinds, with her extraordinary portraits interspersed throughout the narrative.
Pre-order Golem Girl through Penguin Random House or at Riva's favorite local bookstore, Women & Children First.
Riva Lehrer is represented by Markus Hoffmann at Regal Hoffmann & Associates.
PRAISE FOR GOLEM GIRL
“Golem Girl is luminous; a profound portrait of the artist as a young—and mature—woman; an unflinching social history of disability over the last six decades; and a hymn to life, love, family, and spirit.”
—David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas
“Lehrer’s story is a revelation of an inner subjective life—full of tragedy, love, and creativity—pushing against the external social stigmas, cultural narratives, and prejudices surrounding disability. She admits a felt kinship with other “monsters” because their bodies were also “built by human hands,” but unlike them, she is her own purpose, her own meaning, her own unstoppable golem.”
—Stephen Asma, author of On Monsters: An Unnatural History of Our Worst Fears
“ An extraordinary memoir suffused with generosity, consistent insight, and striking artwork.”
“Riva Lehrer is a great artist and a great storyteller. This is a brilliant book, full of strangeness, beauty, and wonder.”
—Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife