Natural Woman is a story of re-discovery-- that is, a story not about a journey toward womanhood, but a journey back to womanhood. A form of storytelling known as a "memoir anthology" is employed, which is a compilation of short narratives, and this allows Yémaya to synthesize her story in a concise yet impactful way. The stories in Natural Woman are diverse and touch an array of subjects from adventure, to family, to success, to loss and pain, and even love, dating, and erotica. While a mélange of stories are told throughout this memoir, you will notice a recurring theme of gender and sexuality, and how each story influences Yémaya's transmogrification and culminates with her graduation into a Morehouse Woman. Natural Woman is postured on the Ghanaian concept of "Sankofa," a term which means "to retrieve." Sankofa speaks to the idea and practice of going back to reclaim our past and the knowledge it holds for the purpose of forward movement. Put differently, Sankofa is about connecting the past to the present. Similarly, Natural Woman is not about Yémaya transitioning to or becoming someone, but about going back to reclaim the woman she has always been and joining that woman, and all the knowledge she holds, with the present.
