There She Goes
New Travel Writing by Women
Everyday womanhood is celebrated in the travel essay collection There She Goes.
These seventeen essays by women of all ages and backgrounds focus on the quotidian particularities of existing as a woman. One entry, about a visit to Salem, Massachusetts, honors the victims of the witch trials; in another, a woman deals with the unexpected arrival of her period during a mountain expedition. “Stay at Home” reflects a newfound connection with nature amid feelings of danger. Many essays take place during COVID-19 lockdowns, showcasing the tension of travel in a limited arena among stories of adventure from an unrestricted time.
Each essay explores a distinct connection between traveling and womanhood. Motherhood is thematic, including in “From Our Own Correspondent,” wherein the diary entries of a mother and a grandmother are compared with tenderness and vulnerability. In “Spider Mother,” living with post-natal depression is discussed.
Rigor and toughness are rejected as guiding values. In “Rewriting the Hero’s Journey,” a team of bike racers prioritize their health and safety over continuing in treacherous conditions, reframing what it means to be a winner. Marathon running and sea training create newfound mind-body connections along with a sense of homecoming in “How Far My Body Can Go.” The chronic pain of endometriosis leaves the author of “Midder” immobile, but traveling through family history and reeducation in her “midder” (mother) tongue creates a new kind of mental toughness.
The focal experiences represent a version of every woman and create conversations about whose stories are important to tell. Real travel writing, Aldegheri asserts, “seeks to question categories which limit what women should and should not be, or write.” In turn, the collection examines all corners of womanhood.
The varied essay collection There She Goes celebrates women who traveled across the world.
Reviewed by
Allison Janicki
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
