How We Get Free

Black Feminism and the Combahee River Collective

By: Keeanga -Yamahtta Taylor

Narrated by: Lisa Reneé Pitts

Length: 6 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

The Combahee River Collective, a path-breaking group of radical black feminists, was one of the most important organizations to develop out of the antiracist and women's liberation movements of the 1960s and 70s.

In this collection of essays and interviews edited by activist-scholar Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, founding members of the organization and contemporary activists reflect on the legacy of its contributions to black feminism and its impact on today's struggles.

©2017 Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor (P)2018 Tantor

Topics Is Rich; Worth Two Voices

I’m in love with hearing Black Feminist thoughts in the voice of Black feminists. The interview-basis for this book, however, was somewhat confusing read in a single voice, and that not of the author.

It kind of replicates the nuance of the text that as a student of Black feminist movements, I see as the major contribution of the work: capitalism and patriarchy reduce every project to one of individual energy and economy. “Getting free” costs all of us and requires pooling of resources to build sustainable power that is larger than one person. Only having access to a narration business system that uses a single voiceover artist to bring a collection of testimonies to life, blunts the liberatory capacity of the audiobook.

Crucial history

Hopeful realism in our difficult times. Great to hear the individual stories of the founders.

Timeless

A collection of some of the greatest historical voices in the black feminism movement that detail the importance of perspective and intersectionality.

very insightful

The interviews in this book are really powerful and insightful. I learned a lot about our history and the perspective of the women who founded the Combahee River Collective. highly recommend!

So important

In my lifetime this book will remain crucial and central to understanding how to combat multiple oppressions. Here, 'identity politics' is wrested out of the hands of the right-wing, and of pop liberal culture, and the white academy. None of them has a goal of collective liberation. The term and the whole CRC statement is placed back into an anaysis of racist capitalism, patriarchy, and imperialism. While I wish each person had a different narrator, the one narrator was excellent.

Much needed perspective

Wonderful mix of history, personal experience, and intersectional perspectives. A must read to better understand where we need to go politically, socially, and economically.

Foundational book.

This books is amazing! It shifted my worldview. Listen, and let it inform and reshape your political, cultural, and sociological awareness.

less a novel and more a series of interviews

This was a very interesting story but I think to do it justice someone should have done the legwork to compose it as a full fledged book. An informative and solid read nonetheless. Narration quality was spotty in parts.

Powerful and Inspiring!

This book really opened my mind and helped me see the beginnings of black feminism in a much clearer light. I feel like this book has only become more important as time has passed.