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Reviews tagging 'Racism'
Zami: A New Spelling of My Name: A Biomythography by Audre Lorde
54 reviews
emk5's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Abortion
Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, Suicide, and Racism
Minor: Animal death
jessmbark's review
4.75
Graphic: Suicide, Sexism, Animal death, Homophobia, Suicide attempt, Racism, and Abortion
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Fatphobia, Grief, Addiction, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Minor: Animal death, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Violence, and Blood
queerbooklover03's review
4.0
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Abortion, Lesbophobia, Sexual violence, and Racism
dominic_t's review against another edition
5.0
This is an amazing book that transcends the memoir genre. Lorde calls it a biomythography, and that really fits. She centers her analysis of her life on her relationships with women and explores how each woman shaped her. Her writing is so vivid and provides a window into what life was like for gay-girls (her term) in the northeast US in the 40s and 50s.
She wrote so beautifully about each relationship and really captured the experiences of infatuation, love, and heartbreak. I viscerally felt the highs and laws.
I also loved reading about the community of gay women she belonged to. It was a fascinating window into the past. She went into a lot of detail about her experience as a Black woman in a majority white community and explored the complexity of her friendships and relationships with white women. She also talked about her struggles to fit into the community as a woman who wasn't either butch or femme. I've read the perspectives of butches and femmes from communities like hers, and it was cool to get the perspective of someone who didn't fit in either role.
The progressive communities of that time were really homophobic and saw queerness as "bourgeoisie." In response to that, she wrote, "I didn’t know how I was going to bring my personal and political visions together, but I knew it had to be possible because I felt them both too strongly, and knew how much I needed them both to survive...Any world which did not have a place for me loving women was not a world in which I wanted to live, nor one which I could fight for." That quote deeply resonates with me. I can feel both her pain and her hope.
This is not an easy read. She covers abuse, bigotry, and suicide in detail. Even though the book was filled with tragedy, I ended the book feeling hopeful. Throughout everything, she had a vision of a better world, and I was able to see it too.
Graphic: Blood, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Physical abuse, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Sexual content, Alcoholism, Animal death, Alcohol, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Cancer
Minor: Racial slurs
savvylit's review
4.0
In this memoir, Audre Lorde doesn't hold back. Rather, she shares all the details - good and bad. Lorde frankly discusses traumatic physical events sexual assaults and a brutal illegal abortion. She also beautifully and achingly describes the emotional aspects of her life: her difficult relationship with her mother, the loss of a close childhood friend, and, later, the crumbling of her first long-term relationship.
Overall, I really enjoyed learning about the early development of Audre Lorde's brilliant mind. After reading Zami, it became clear to me how Lorde's trifold outsider status (Black, lesbian, leftist) shaped her life and her writing. I am now very eagerly anticipating reading her essay collection, Sister Outsider, at some point in the near future!
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Xenophobia, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Lesbophobia, and Toxic relationship
crackedspines_'s review against another edition
Graphic: Racism
dreamweaver's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Racial slurs, and Cancer
Minor: Rape
scarroll178's review against another edition
I liked it though! Especially the parts about Lorde’s childhood.
I thought her recollections about her childhood were very insightful.
Graphic: Sexual assault and Racism
queerghstbuster's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Lesbophobia and Suicide
overwaterer's review
4.5
Moderate: Racism
Minor: Rape