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crystalstarrlight's review
5.0
Bullet Review:
Not gonna lie, low-key reveling I’m finishing 4 books in like 2 days. (So what if two of those books I started in March and August of last year! I can’t hear you!)
For whatever reason, this, unlike Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist” totally hit me in that right spot. It made me laugh, made me cringe and made me wish I was a better person. I don’t know where I found out about this book as the name Phoebe Robinson doesn’t ring any bells, but I think she’s funny, relatable and on fire.
Full Review:
I'm always open to listening to new voices; when my Goodreads friend, Carmen, wrote this amazing review, it didn't matter that I had never heard of Phoebe Robinson before. I plodded to my local bookstore and asked for this book. (I ended up having to ask for help, which led to a slightly amusing scene where the white male clerk ended up making a slightly funny remark when I read out the title.)
And then the book sat on my shelf for four years. Somehow I didn't Marie Kondo this out of existence but held on, knowing One Day I would finally open this book up.
That day finally happened in Black History Month (which she even remarks on in the book - and when I read that part, I was ashamed, knowing half the reason I picked this was to read more black voices during Black History month) when I was on a plane flying for work. I plopped this book open (after of course, finishing "A Sea of Sorrow", which I had been chipping away at since 2019) and was astounded.
I have a hard time with humor books. I've loved Tina Fey's Bossypants, but so many others that even my friends adored were big fat nopes from me.
David Sedaris? Nope
Ellen DeGeneris? No again
Whoopi Goldberg? Nope...
Billy Crystal? Noooooo....
B.J. Novak? Yawn.
When it comes to biographies or compilations of essays in general, it's rough. It's why to this day, I'm still insanely upset I didn't care more for Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist.
For whatever reason I didn't care for most of those "funny" biographies/essays nor did I care for Roxane's work, but THIS worked on me. It was funny. It was brutal. It was in your face about being black. But for whatever reason, it resonated with me. She talked about her natural hair and the struggles, from how to manage it (hours and hours at the salon on numerous Saturdays) to the perceptions everyone else has of it (oh it's so messy and hippie and countercultural!). Her guilty pleasures, her liking "White Things" like U2 - Robinson really opened herself up in here, and I think that must be what I really liked overall.
That said, I think humor is very much a "Your mileage may vary". Perhaps if you are a millennial like Robinson and me, you'll find yourself chuckling at this humor (which does include a lot of ALL CAPS and text speech.COM). Perhaps if you are black or a woman or just really love to laugh, this will hit all your funny bones. Or maybe not. I just know I really enjoyed reading this and for the first time in a LONG time gobbled this up in a few days.
Not gonna lie, low-key reveling I’m finishing 4 books in like 2 days. (So what if two of those books I started in March and August of last year! I can’t hear you!)
For whatever reason, this, unlike Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist” totally hit me in that right spot. It made me laugh, made me cringe and made me wish I was a better person. I don’t know where I found out about this book as the name Phoebe Robinson doesn’t ring any bells, but I think she’s funny, relatable and on fire.
Full Review:
I'm always open to listening to new voices; when my Goodreads friend, Carmen, wrote this amazing review, it didn't matter that I had never heard of Phoebe Robinson before. I plodded to my local bookstore and asked for this book. (I ended up having to ask for help, which led to a slightly amusing scene where the white male clerk ended up making a slightly funny remark when I read out the title.)
And then the book sat on my shelf for four years. Somehow I didn't Marie Kondo this out of existence but held on, knowing One Day I would finally open this book up.
That day finally happened in Black History Month (which she even remarks on in the book - and when I read that part, I was ashamed, knowing half the reason I picked this was to read more black voices during Black History month) when I was on a plane flying for work. I plopped this book open (after of course, finishing "A Sea of Sorrow", which I had been chipping away at since 2019) and was astounded.
I have a hard time with humor books. I've loved Tina Fey's Bossypants, but so many others that even my friends adored were big fat nopes from me.
David Sedaris? Nope
Ellen DeGeneris? No again
Whoopi Goldberg? Nope...
Billy Crystal? Noooooo....
B.J. Novak? Yawn.
When it comes to biographies or compilations of essays in general, it's rough. It's why to this day, I'm still insanely upset I didn't care more for Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist.
For whatever reason I didn't care for most of those "funny" biographies/essays nor did I care for Roxane's work, but THIS worked on me. It was funny. It was brutal. It was in your face about being black. But for whatever reason, it resonated with me. She talked about her natural hair and the struggles, from how to manage it (hours and hours at the salon on numerous Saturdays) to the perceptions everyone else has of it (oh it's so messy and hippie and countercultural!). Her guilty pleasures, her liking "White Things" like U2 - Robinson really opened herself up in here, and I think that must be what I really liked overall.
That said, I think humor is very much a "Your mileage may vary". Perhaps if you are a millennial like Robinson and me, you'll find yourself chuckling at this humor (which does include a lot of ALL CAPS and text speech.COM). Perhaps if you are black or a woman or just really love to laugh, this will hit all your funny bones. Or maybe not. I just know I really enjoyed reading this and for the first time in a LONG time gobbled this up in a few days.
kiesha54books's review
5.0
Took me a little bit longer to finish ( I got a lot going on over here ) but this book was AMAZING and ÜBER funny!!! Oh and people calm down it's also about empowering women!!!
mayagraci's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.75
Very 2016, but not in a bad way
ejhurl22's review
5.0
I won this copy of you can't touch my hair by phoebe Robinson in a goodreads giveaway . I was desperately excited to read this book and by the description both the memoir /essay type and the comic aspect definitely caught my attention. Ms. Robinson did not disappoint as she taught about life as a young woman and what being a young black woman means to her . She talks about pop culture, media, being a black woman in a society that constantly Shames into trying to conform to stereotypes . Ms. Robinson is fierce , funny and genuine and I honestly owe her a drink or two if I ever meet her!
musicixel's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
4.0