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menachris87's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
teekeita's review against another edition
This was more like a memoir [in fragments] that was connected to the Black women featured. Unfortunately it resulted in weak fragments and weak histories of the women, too.
inamerata's review
3.5
A solid, rewarding collection regardless of your familiarity with the featured women. Jackson deftly blends the personal and political, in both senses, as she explores Black feminist history and accomplishments. I appreciated the variety of women she featured and how they were contextualized in their own right and through their influence on Jackson’s own life. Her essays were touching with how she reflected on working toward goals while recognizing your own struggles and that no one can always live up to an ideal. This made the reading list of other feminist authors at the end even more of a boon.
However, I was put off by the frequent, divisive use of slurs for LGBT people, as well as some inaccurate/fuzzy writing scattered throughout. Perhaps the most striking example of the latter was when discussing Henrietta Lacks, she rightfully named the misogynoir at work, but implied Oprah Winfrey broke the story at some unspecified recent time. (In 2017, Oprah adapted “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” into a movie based on Rebecca Skloot’s 2010 book of the same name.) By omitting dates and all previous coverage, which goes back to the 1970s, it weakened the chapter of truth-telling and obscured just how much time and work it actually took for this story to break into public consciousness.
jazzreads32's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
This was such a powerful read that challenged the way I view the world especially sexuality and community. I really appreciate the author spotlighting some of the harmless that happens in our community.. This author had me reflecting on my childhood as a black girl and some of the women in my life. Some of the women she mention in this book I will be reading more books about I feel so bad that I never heard of them until this book. I am so happy I got a chance to read this book because I will be learning more about women like Audre Lorde and Ida B. Bells. This book was such a beautiful representation on how we should discuss black women writes and leaders.. I love the fact that this author talks about the women in her life and the impact they have in her life.. The things she shared about her grandmother is something that I can really relate to in my life.