Freedom: Essays

by Zinzi Clemmons

A radically vulnerable and virtuosic inquiry into the pursuit of freedom and the interminable nature of struggle, from the award-winning author of What We Lose

Weaving personal reflections with piercing insight and expansive vision across nine brilliant essays, Clemmons explores the complexities of the elusive concept of freedom. As the daughter of a South African mother and a Trinidadian-America father, she recounts growing up in the largely white, affluent town of Swarthmore, Pennsylvania—and her frequent travels to Johannesburg, where the lofty promise of freedom was all around her. Coming of age amidst the euphoria of South Africa's first all-race elections, she grapples with the legacy of Nelson Mandela and the shattered hope in the wake of the Obama era. Clemmons critiques the entrenched inequalities that haunt both countries, from the tragic loss of her childhood friend Robbie to the violence that often befalls women who have the audacity to be free.

In a deft mix of memoir, family history, criticism, and reportage, drawing on a vast range of material from Joan Didion to James Baldwin, political analysis and history to Clemmons’s own experiences across the globe, Freedom is an incendiary exploration of race, sex, class, and inheritance. In elegiac prose, Clemmons trains her discerning eye on American institutions and mythologies, probing the bounds of liberation and autonomy to interrogate our most enduring quest—the relentless pursuit of freedom for all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, History, South Africa, Memoir

256 pages, Hardcover

First published June 9, 2026

About the author

Zinzi Clemmons was raised in Philadelphia by a South African mother and an American father. A graduate of Brown and Columbia, her writing has appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, The Paris Review Daily, Transition, and The Common.

She is a co-founder and former publisher of Apogee Journal, a contributing editor to Literary Hub, and deputy editor for Phoneme Media.

She has received fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, Bread Loaf, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and the Kimbilio Center for African American Fiction.

Clemmons lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Reviews

[Abby Paulnock · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very important and well crafted read! These essays perfectly weave personal narrative with facts and theoretical frameworks. As someone who recently moved to Philadelphia and works in education in Delaware County, I was shocked and enlightened by many of the stories surrounding the local school districts. Some of these experiences were also familiar growing up in the Midwest.

I was drawn in by the author’s voice. It felt conversational in a way. Meaningful and heartbreaking information was conveyed honestly. The order of the essays is arranged in a thoughtful manner that allows the reader to get a sense of the author and their background before diving deeper into more complex theories about race. This is, by far, one of my most meaningful reads this year.

[Franny M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Zinzi's writing since Lenny Letter, and I was so excited to read her new essays. This collection did not disappoint. As an African-American, it was fascinating to see a writer compare and connect the black experience in America to the struggle for racial equality in post-apartheid South Africa. It reflected my frustration and disappointment as a millennial with a lot of the false promises of hope and change in the future I was given. Reading this collection in a second Trump administration, where white supremacists are emboldened and in power, and the government is being so welcoming to racist white South African's who claim a white genocide, it was just what I needed.

Thank you, NetGalley and Viking, for the ARC!

[Susie Dumond · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful collection of personal essays exploring the concept of freedom. "Freedom Pt. II" is the essay that stuck with me the most, telling the story of how Zinzi Clemmons was sexually harassed by her Pulitzer Prize-winning grad school professor and later went public about the abuse during the Me Too movement, only to have her credibility challenged and likely her career harmed because of it. Reading this collection, it hurts to think about how many more books by Clemmons we'd probably have if she'd hadn't been villainized by her abuser. I hope we get another book from her soon — fiction or nonfiction, she can do it all!

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful collection of personal essays on race in America and South Africa. As someone who worked in Mozambique and traveled through South Africa a fair amount, the sections on South Africa were very interesting. The essay on the author’s experiences with sexual harassment in her MFA and from famous writers was the one that most stuck with me several days after reading.

[Matt Kratz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the essays

[Bridgette · Rating 5 out of 5]

*well-written and essays are easy to read
*educational - a powerful learning experience
*impactful and insightful messages
*highly recommend

[Deranged]

Won and received a copy through a Goodreads Giveaway.