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satrayreads's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Read this for a grad school class called “race gender and education” and this book was absolutely phenomenal. bell hooks was such a talented writer, wow.
vcarty's review
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.5
The consistent tone in this book is the perfect place onto which the reader can place their own memories of girlhood, their own youth, while the intensity and specificity of the stories force you to experience bell hooks’ inner life. There is no escaping the sad, intense, unjust reality of this specific girlhood, yet it is simply the facts of what happened. The growth from other children, to the dynamics of adults in families, to the development of an inner life and voice, to the first sparks of sexuality, to fostering one’s own identity by forging meaningful relationships in young adulthood, it’s here. It’s bell hooks.
nad_books623's review
4.0
This book was very beautiful, but extremely sad. Her style of writing can be confusing during certain parts of the book, but I think it’s smart that she did it in second person.
pattydsf's review
4.0
“There is much to celebrate about being old. I want to be old as soon as possible for I see the way the old ones live - free. They are free to be different - unique - distinct from one another. None of them are alike. Some of them were already on their way to being old when I was born. I do not know them young. I do not have to forgive them past mistakes. They have not caused me any sorrow. My grandfather tells me that all he ever wanted was for the world to leave him be, that it won't let you when you are a young man.”
As I became a feminist, bell hooks was a name I heard over and over again. I was told that her writings were important and I should make time to read them. I always had good intentions. It took her death in December 2021 for me to get this book and then it took me more time to actually read it.
If you are interested in knowing more about hooks, this is a good place to start. By reading her growing up stories, you will have a better understanding of how bell hooks became the person she was. The writing in this is excellent. Of course, now I know I should read more by her. We will see if I get to it.
As I became a feminist, bell hooks was a name I heard over and over again. I was told that her writings were important and I should make time to read them. I always had good intentions. It took her death in December 2021 for me to get this book and then it took me more time to actually read it.
If you are interested in knowing more about hooks, this is a good place to start. By reading her growing up stories, you will have a better understanding of how bell hooks became the person she was. The writing in this is excellent. Of course, now I know I should read more by her. We will see if I get to it.
rwlongino's review
3.0
bell hooks creates an incredible picture of her childhood and I think her strength is developing her writer's voice. The narration coincides with the child development of the story - so as she writes about the early years it feels as though a 7 year old is speaking. While this may sound like a simple task, creating that voice is challenging and hooks does it with such splendor! I so appreciate her honesty and vulnerability, approaching topics that most of us blush about just thinking of.
hellomadalyn's review
4.0
I read this for the Intro to Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies class I'm taking this semester, and I absolutely loved it. After reading some of bell hooks' essays in class, I was eager to read more of her writing. bell hooks' prose is just stunning. This book will stick with me for a long time.
lindseyzank's review
3.0
If you’re familiar with bell hooks, this memoir is an intriguing look at her childhood and how she was raised. She covers issues like racism, homophobia, gender expectations, domestic violence, death, and sexuality. There are 61 chapters, snippets of memory or commentary about her childhood. Each chapter is exactly 2.5 pages long, so there’s consistency in the presentation, but that meant that each vignette was incredibly short, and, as a result, felt undeveloped. She alternates between the 1st and 3rd perspectives, which I think worked to show both how she thought of herself and others while growing up and also how others thought of her (a big concern of hers because her family members were always judging her for not acting right). But at times I felt a detachment between hooks and her own stories. She delivers them in almost a sterile, matter of fact way, devoid of the emotion you might imagine they would evoke. The most effective vignettes were the ones where she discusses how her family and community perceived homosexuals and her fears that she might not be interested in men. I was also fascinated by her descriptions of going to an integrated school for the first time, but she only dedicates one chapter to an experience that I imagine is ripe for more depiction. I wish there were fewer memories and threads and that they were more richly developed. Since I love bell hooks and her scholarly work, I enjoyed reading her about childhood.