Minister, writer, and award-winning essayist Linda Petrucelli releases her debut memoir, Mother Tongue: A Memoir of Taiwan (Koehler Books).
In 1984, Petrucelli journeyed to Taiwan with her husband to serve as missionaries with their local church partner, the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan. Expecting to learn Mandarin, she was instead assigned to study Taiwanese—an ancient, eight-toned mother tongue suppressed under martial law. What began as a daunting assignment turned into a transformative journey of faith, identity, and resilience.
Set during the world’s longest period of martial law, Mother Tongue offers candid insight into Taiwan’s nonviolent struggle toward democracy, the political power of language, and the universal search for belonging.
Petrucelli’s essays have earned Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations, and her fiction has won multiple national awards. An ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, she has served internationally and across the United States. She now lives in Hawi, Hawaii, with her husband, artist Gary Hoff. Mother Tongue: A Memoir of Taiwan is available June 9, 2026, through Koehler Books and major booksellers.
Linda Petrucelli 