This book looks at the constructs of gender, genre, and colonialism as they intersect in the works of Senegalese writers Mariama Ba and Aminata Sow Fall and French writer Marguerite Duras. Though these authors form an unlikely trio at first glance, we hear surprising echoes in their texts as they reveal the construction and narration of a feminine "I" over and against a variety of colonizing forces. The authors' experimentation with autobiographical writing, experiences with colonialism, and exploration of the metaphor of infanticide create a rich, multicultural dialogue about the politics of women's writing.