For two decades, Judith Thurman has graced The New Yorker with her insightful essays. They consider our culture in all its guises: literature, history, politics, gender, fashion, and art, though their paramount subject is: How do we become who we are? "First Impressions" recounts the discovery of the Paleolithic site Chauvet Cave, but most of this collection—winner of the PEN/Diamondstein-Spielvogel Award—consists of wide-ranging profiles of brilliant women, including Emily Dickinson, Lee Miller, Alison Bechdel, Elena Ferrante, and Rachel Cusk.