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Black Is the Body: Stories from My Grandmother's Time, My Mother's Time, and Mine by Emily Bernard
dag__chika's review
5.0
Emily Bernard writes some of the most beautiful prose I have ever read. Black is the Body functions both as a deep, educational telling of the racialized experiences of a Black woman, and as beautiful, joy-to-read stories. I highly recommend.
kmatthe2's review
4.0
A beautiful essay collection about the complexities of living in a black female body in America. Lyrical and literary. Personal and communal.
ftideman's review
4.0
The first essay had me completely captivated, and from there, Emily weaved a beautiful tale of past, present and future. She had a knack for discussing people, honestly and plainly, while always remaining respectful. I did feel like some of the essays were a little less cohesive than others, where it felt almost disorganised. But throughout, her writing was beautiful, simple and honest, and I feel like I left this book with a lot to think about.
racheladventure's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most gorgeous, truthful essay collections I have ever read. I highly recommend it for its storytelling and grappling: the questions and the complex telling with really creative narrative techniques are transformative.
laurenoden's review
5.0
Bernard writes with such vulnerability and honesty on the human condition through the lens of her family and their history. Overarching themes of belonging, home, embodiment, hope, and the ache of oppression make this lyrically poetic collection one that I want to reread again and again.
Adding her other works to my TBR list, and thanking the universe that she saw fit to release these stories into the world.
Adding her other works to my TBR list, and thanking the universe that she saw fit to release these stories into the world.
tracithomas's review
3.0
The earlier essays were good. I could really relate to her thinking and experiences. However as the book went on they felt repetitive. I think overall it could’ve been less. Also worth saying. This is a book filled with intimate small essays not essays on giant trauma. It’s not about the pain of blackness. It’s about Bernard’s experiences as a black woman.
lanidacey's review
2.0
Meh. Obviously, this book wasn't written for me. It was written for a non-black audience. The majority of the essays feature the author describing mundane interactions between her husband/daughters/family friends and trying to find some racial significance in them. Maybe it was meant to be intimate and show what it is like to live as a black person in a white space; instead, these moments felt shallow and forced. Worse, in each of these moments, the author frequently came off as a snide instigator of conflict between her students and white friends. I get the need to make people uncomfortable to educate them, but the examples she brought up always felt poorly done.
Also, for someone who teaches African American literature at the university-level, the author seems to have a limited repertoire of literary references. She makes way too many references to James Baldwin or [b:Their Eyes Were Watching God|37415|Their Eyes Were Watching God|Zora Neale Hurston|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1368072803s/37415.jpg|1643555], with rare mentions of anything else. I would hope to learn of more, underrated black authors and titles when reading a black literature professor's memoir.
I can't recommend. It feels too messy and fails to say anything insightful about race.
Also, for someone who teaches African American literature at the university-level, the author seems to have a limited repertoire of literary references. She makes way too many references to James Baldwin or [b:Their Eyes Were Watching God|37415|Their Eyes Were Watching God|Zora Neale Hurston|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1368072803s/37415.jpg|1643555], with rare mentions of anything else. I would hope to learn of more, underrated black authors and titles when reading a black literature professor's memoir.
I can't recommend. It feels too messy and fails to say anything insightful about race.