Pulitzer Prize Fiction Winner
Middlesex
by Jeffrey Eugenides
Summary
Narrated by Cal, an intersex man of Greek-American descent, the novel traces three generations of the Stephanides family from a village in Asia Minor to the streets of twentieth-century Detroit. Eugenides fuses myth, immigration history, and coming-of-age narrative to interrogate gender, genetics, and the construction of selfhood. Its expansive scope and intimate voice helped reshape mainstream conversations about identity.
”
Historical Context & Significance
The novel was a massive bestseller and a critical success for its daring exploration of gender identity and the "American melting pot" myth.