Tough Love: A Lesson in Mentorship and Submission

For fans of Melissa Febos and Leslie Jamison, this dazzling memoir probes the cultural myth of mentorship, the author’s pursuit of a series of domineering mentors, and what it took for her to break the cycle.

In this electric memoir, Tajja Isen recounts her artistic coming-of-age through the charged mentorships that defined it. Growing up, Isen was unusually susceptible to the idea that excellence depended on pleasing her superiors and submitting to their influence. Her taste and talent for ...