NAME: Caroline Kautsire
HOMETOWN: Weymouth by way of Blantyre, Malawi
AGE: 35
IN THE NEWS: Kautsire is an actress, author, teacher and mentor who recently released her second book, “Some Kind of Girl,” which recounts her story of struggling to follow both African and Western standards for young women.
NOW YOU KNOW: Writing wasn’t her first passion; acting was. Kautsire was nominated for best supporting actress by the Eastern Massachusetts Association of Community Theatres for her performance as Trinculo in William Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.”
HER STORY: Caroline Kautsire was born in Malawi and lived in Southeast Africa for 17 years. After high school, she moved to the United States. She is in her first year teaching at Thayer Academy in Braintree. She has published two books about young women coming of age and finding their identities.
Kautsire said literature is impactful. She said writers seize the opportunity to deepen the lives of readers through storytelling and expression. Literature opens many doors and gives a voice to people who may be rendered voiceless, she said.
“There’s power in weaving narratives that help people understand the world better. There’s power in raising awareness about things that go unnoticed, and I think literature does that,” she said. “Literature provides knowledge but it also cures ignorance.”
In “Some Kind of Girl,” Kautsire explores the clash of African and Western roles and standards for women. She draws on her own confusing adolescent experiences.
“I was a kid that was very curious, and I loved to ask a lot of questions that I was not allowed to ask, and a lot of those questions had to do with my identity − who I am, who I would love to be,” Kautsire said.
Her first book, “What Kind of Girl?,” was released in 2020 and recounts how people were not supportive of her choices. In Malawi, girls were taught to be passive and submissive, Kautsire said, and she struggled to meet the cultural expectations. In the book, Kautsire delves into her desire to leave Malawi for America to escape her traditional upbringing, which dictated how girls should act.
“I wanted to be as strong as the boys. I wanted to be as smart as any other person around the room. I was trying to assert myself,” she said. “Because I couldn’t be myself, I wanted to come to America.”
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She said the American dream is an idea that offers people options and she feels freer to be herself here.
The process to become an author was gradual. She struggled to write in English while she was in Malawi. The grammar was difficult. Reading Shakespeare helped, she said.
Kautsire also helped friends in the school cafeteria with their essays as she was learning how to write.
“I started to do that just for fun, just to pass time,” she said.
Soon after, her teacher noticed and asked Kautsire if she wanted to be a writing tutor. Her friends were doing well in their classes after receiving her help, and then “the teacher in me came out,” she said. Kautsire wanted to share her experiences with the world, so she started a blog.
Mentorship played a huge role in her life. Kautsire works for the Women’s Launch Pad at her alma mater, Brown University, where alumni are paired with juniors and seniors. Students learn about the experience at Brown and life beyond the university.
Kautsire speaks at organizations focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion, and she recently gave an author talk at the Hingham Public Library.
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“I’m not there to tell them what path to take but I can guide them in that path,” Kautsire said. “A lot of the successes and the accomplishments that I’ve had have been the result of so many people helping me out.”
In “Some Kind of Girl,” Kautsire illustrates the events that have shaped who she is. Facing the American immigration system, maintaining legal status as a student and adjusting to the American culture were challenges that added new complexities to her identity. Kautsire also grapples with race, gender, religion, language and sexuality in her works.
“All of this was happening in my effort to find my true self,” she said.
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Reach Joel Barnes at jkbarnes@patriotledger.com.
