Misbehaving at the Crossroads

Essays & Writings

By: Honoree Fanonne Jeffers

Narrated by: Karen Chilton

The New York Times-bestselling, National Book Award-nominated author of The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois and The Age of Phillis makes her nonfiction debut with this personal and thought-provoking work that explores the journeys and possibilities of Black women throughout American history and in contemporary times.

Honorée Fanonne Jeffers is at a crossroads.

Traditional African/Black American cultures present the crossroads as a place of simultaneous difficulty and possibility. In contemporary times, Kimberlé Crenshaw coined the phrase “intersectionality” to explain the unique position of Black women in America. In many ways, they are at a third crossroads: attempting to fit into notions of femininity and respectability primarily assigned to White women, while inventing improvisational strategies to combat oppression.

In Misbehaving at the Crossroads, Jeffers explores the emotional and historical tensions in Black women’s public lives and her own private life. She charts voyages of Black girlhood to womanhood and the currents buffeting these journeys, including the difficulties of racially gendered oppression, the challenges of documenting Black women’s ancestry; the adultification of Black girls; the irony of Black female respectability politics; the origins of Womanism/Black feminism; and resistance to White supremacy and patriarchy. As Jeffers shows with empathy and wisdom, naming difficult historical truths represents both Blues and transcendence, a crossroads that speaks.

Necessary and sharply observed, provocative and humane, and full of the insight and brilliance that has characterized her poetry and fiction, Misbehaving at the Crossroads illustrates the life of one extraordinary Black woman—and her extraordinary foremothers.

fantastic writer

information was current, and factual with dark and light subjects to keep me engaged word definition really great reader's tone, clarity was welcomeing and engaging

Her internal incredibly honest dialogues

Hearing about her complex love of her family and the South was powerfully and illuminating to me.

Beautiful & brilliant

I knew this would be beautiful and brilliant just from experiencing her past work. But I didn’t expect to be so deeply touched and have my heart grow as she shared her soul. Thank you for your openness and for sharing these words stories and feelings with us!

To be SEEN

This touched every bit of my heart and soul. This book explained the personal thoughts I have had over years and never spoke. Thank you for sharing your heart with the world and me as a I travel each crossroad.