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.