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In these newly collected essays, interviews, and speeches, world-renowned activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis illuminates the connections between struggles against state violence and oppression throughout history and around the world. Reflecting on the importance of black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism for today's struggles, Davis discusses the legacies of previous liberation struggles - from the black freedom movement to the South African antiapartheid movement.
What's wrong with black women? Not a damned thing The Sisters Are Alright exposes anti-black-woman propaganda and shows how real black women are pushing back against distorted cartoon versions of themselves. Tamara Winfrey Harris takes sharp aim at pervasive stereotypes about black women. She counters warped prejudices with the straight-up truth about being a black woman in America.
So what if it's true that Black women are mad as hell? They have the right to be. In the Black feminist tradition of Audre Lorde, Brittney Cooper reminds us that anger is a powerful source of energy that can give us the strength to keep on fighting. Far too often, Black women's anger has been caricatured into an ugly and destructive force that threatens the civility and social fabric of American democracy. But Cooper shows us that there is more to the story than that.
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites listeners into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms.
From one of the fiercest critics writing today, Morgan Jerkins' highly anticipated collection of linked essays interweaves her incisive commentary on pop culture, feminism, black history, misogyny, and racism with her own experiences to confront the very real challenges of being a black woman today - perfect for fans of Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist, Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me, and Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists.
In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions listeners don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.
In these newly collected essays, interviews, and speeches, world-renowned activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis illuminates the connections between struggles against state violence and oppression throughout history and around the world. Reflecting on the importance of black feminism, intersectionality, and prison abolitionism for today's struggles, Davis discusses the legacies of previous liberation struggles - from the black freedom movement to the South African antiapartheid movement.
What's wrong with black women? Not a damned thing The Sisters Are Alright exposes anti-black-woman propaganda and shows how real black women are pushing back against distorted cartoon versions of themselves. Tamara Winfrey Harris takes sharp aim at pervasive stereotypes about black women. She counters warped prejudices with the straight-up truth about being a black woman in America.
So what if it's true that Black women are mad as hell? They have the right to be. In the Black feminist tradition of Audre Lorde, Brittney Cooper reminds us that anger is a powerful source of energy that can give us the strength to keep on fighting. Far too often, Black women's anger has been caricatured into an ugly and destructive force that threatens the civility and social fabric of American democracy. But Cooper shows us that there is more to the story than that.
In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites listeners into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her - from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work to her time spent at the world's most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it - in her own words and on her own terms.
From one of the fiercest critics writing today, Morgan Jerkins' highly anticipated collection of linked essays interweaves her incisive commentary on pop culture, feminism, black history, misogyny, and racism with her own experiences to confront the very real challenges of being a black woman today - perfect for fans of Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist, Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me, and Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie's We Should All Be Feminists.
In So You Want to Talk About Race, Ijeoma Oluo offers a contemporary, accessible take on the racial landscape in America, addressing head-on such issues as privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word. Perfectly positioned to bridge the gap between people of color and white Americans struggling with race complexities, Oluo answers the questions listeners don't dare ask, and explains the concepts that continue to elude everyday Americans.
Being a black woman in America means contending with old prejudices and fresh absurdities every day. Comedian Phoebe Robinson has experienced her fair share over the years: She's been unceremoniously relegated to the role of "the black friend", as if she is somehow the authority on all things racial; she's been questioned about her love of U2 and Billy Joel ("isn't that...white people music?"); she's been called "uppity" for having an opinion in the workplace; and yes, people do ask her whether they can touch her hair all. The. Time.
"My name is 'J' and I'm awkward--and black. Someone once told me those were the two worst things anyone could be. That someone was right. Where do I start?" Being an introvert in a world that glorifies cool isn't easy. But when Issa Rae, the creator of the Shorty Award-winning hit series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl, is that introvert--whether she's navigating love, work, friendships, or rapping--it sure is entertaining.
In this moving collection of thought-provoking essays infused with her unique wisdom and deep humor, Union tells astonishingly personal and true stories about power, color, gender, feminism, and fame. Union tackles a range of experiences, including bullying, beauty standards and competition between women in Hollywood, growing up in white California suburbia and then spending summers with her black relatives in Nebraska, coping with crushes, puberty, and the divorce of her parents.
With his trademark acerbic wit, incisive humor, and infectious paranoia, one of our foremost comedians and most politically engaged civil rights activists looks back at 100 key events from the complicated history of black America. Defining Moments in Black History is an essential, no-holds-bar history lesson that will provoke, enlighten, and entertain.
In the era of colorblindness, it is no longer socially permissible to use race, explicitly, as a justification for discrimination, exclusion, and social contempt. Yet, as legal star Michelle Alexander reveals, today it is perfectly legal to discriminate against convicted criminals in nearly all the ways that it was once legal to discriminate against African Americans.
With over 500,000 readers a month at her enormously popular blog, AwesomelyLuvvie.com, Luvvie Ajayi is a go-to source for smart takes on pop culture. I'm Judging You is her debut book of humorous essays that dissects our cultural obsessions and calls out bad behavior in our increasingly digital, connected lives - from the importance of the newest Shonda Rhimes television drama to serious discussions of race and media representation to what to do about your fool cousin sharing casket pictures from Grandma's wake on Facebook.
"We were eight years in power" was the lament of Reconstruction-era black politicians as the American experiment in multiracial democracy ended with the return of white supremacist rule in the South. Now Ta-Nehisi Coates explores the tragic echoes of that history in our own time: the unprecedented election of a black president followed by a vicious backlash that fueled the election of the man Coates argues is America's "first white president".
Three powerful African-American female executives celebrate their gender and heritage as they share their secrets for success in this effective guide for businesswomen. Ways to communicate thoughtfully, trust yourself, and exude self-esteem are just a few tactics the authors discuss for those who want to enter the workforce as confident leaders.
In 2013 Assata Shakur, founding member of the Black Liberation Army, former Black Panther and godmother of Tupac Shakur, became the first ever woman to make the FBI's most wanted list. Assata Shakur's trial and conviction for the murder of a white State Trooper in the spring of 1973 divided America. Her case quickly became emblematic of race relations and police brutality in the USA. While Assata's detractors continue to label her a ruthless killer, her defenders cite her as the victim of a systematic, racist campaign.
Tiffany can't avoid being funny: it's just who she is. But The Last Black Unicorn is so much more than a side-splittingly hilarious collection of essays - it's a memoir of the struggles of one woman who came from nothing and nowhere. A woman who was able to achieve her dreams by reveling in her pain and awkwardness, showing the world who she really is, and inspiring others through the power of laughter.
In her phenomenally popular essays and long-running Tumblr blog, Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and body, using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance, and health. As a woman who describes her own body as "wildly undisciplined", Roxane understands the tension between desire and denial, between self-comfort and self-care.
At once a powerful evocation of his early life in Harlem and a disturbing examination of the consequences of racial injustice to both the individual and the body politic, James Baldwin galvanized the nation in the early days of the civil rights movement with this eloquent manifesto. The Fire Next Time stands as one of the essential works of our literature.
Jezebel's sexual lasciviousness, Mammy's devotion, and Sapphire's outspoken anger - these are among the most persistent stereotypes that black women encounter in contemporary American life. Hurtful and dishonest, such representations force African American women to navigate a virtual crooked room that shames them and shapes their experiences as citizens. Many respond by assuming a mantle of strength that may convince others, and even themselves, that they do not need help. But as a result, the unique political issues of black women are often ignored and marginalized.
In this groundbreaking book, Melissa V. Harris-Perry uses multiple methods of inquiry, including literary analysis, political theory, focus groups, surveys, and experimental research, to understand more deeply black women's political and emotional responses to pervasive negative race and gender images. Not a traditional political science work concerned with office-seeking, voting, or ideology, Sister Citizen is an examination of how African American women understand themselves as citizens and what they expect from political organizing. Harris-Perry shows that the shared struggle to preserve an authentic self and secure recognition as citizens links together black women in America, from the anonymous survivors of Hurricane Katrina to the current First Lady of the United States.
This book validated so much if my own experiences, and that if women I speak with daily. I thank you
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
What did you love best about Sister Citizen?
The book was such an eye opener. It is well written and provides great insight into the mis-recognition and shaming of Black women. It is a deeply emotional and insightful perspective on Black women.
What other book might you compare Sister Citizen to and why?
I haven't read any similar books
What aspect of Lisa Reneé Pitts’s performance would you have changed?
The narrator had a hard time translating the transitions in the book, as well as the excerpts from other texts that are in the hard copy of book. It is therefore difficult to know when the narrator is reading Harris-Perry's text or one of the poems or short stories Harris-Perry re-printed in the text.
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Would you listen to Sister Citizen again? Why?
Yes, it is a very powerful and well articulated work on shame, finding one's own way while overcoming societal scapegoating.
What about Lisa Reneé Pitts’s performance did you like?
The poetry and quoted books were read beautifully.
If you could give Sister Citizen a new subtitle, what would it be?
Finding our own power in the crocked room.
Any additional comments?
I would recommend this book to anyone who believes in working towards a more just world.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I was floored by this writing. This book answered so many questions for me. More importantly, as an African American woman of possible mixed heritage, who has spent much of her life questioning whether she was black enough, I now see how most of my experience is rooted in the challenges that being African American entail.
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Where does Sister Citizen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Definitely at the top. Melissa V. Harris-Perry has become one of my favorite authors because she not only makes arguments -- she provides sources, addresses counterarguments, and provides each side of the discussion independently.
What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?
I have never heard an author support their claims like this author did. She doesn't rely on the reader to have any assumptions or knowledge when she presents information.
Any additional comments?
I loved the book, but the hardest part about it was the narrator's lack of tone change when quoting or referencing another piece of work. It became hard to tell what Melissa wrote and what she was quoting at times.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This book said so many things I didn't have the words to articulate and so many things I knew were happening and was told I was imagining. It's comforting to know that there have been studies and research to validate my experiences and to have confirmation that it wasn't in my head.
Lisa Reneé Pitts' voice was an excellent choice for narration.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Where does Sister Citizen rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Sister Citizen ranks #1 among all the audiobooks I have listened to.
What did you like best about this story?
What I liked best about this story was that I was able to reiterate it to other sisters without wondering if I truly grasped the message.
What does Lisa Reneé Pitts bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
Lisa Renee Pitts brings a clear perspective to the story that If I was readings it I would not have experienced. Her tone allows you to absorb her perspective without feeling like she was imposing it upon me.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, this book was exactly what I wanted to listen to all in one sitting.
Any additional comments?
I am convinced that this book is like a bible for Black women and that the information in it should not fall by the way side. The perspectives that were given in each chapter guided my thought process into better understanding what I already knew and believed about "us" as a people in respect to how awesome we are, why it is so important to support one another and stay vigilant to what's going on for, around and against us. My first week reading the book I suggested it to every black women I encountered. This book was introduced to me by my daughter (my sista soldier) so it gave us the opportunity to discuss our observations, understanding and beliefs about who we are as a people and specifically; as black women.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Thank you Melissa! This book has forever changed me. It caused me to take a journey of challenging, yet liberating self reflection.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
loved it!
very educated well rounded perspective on every level. it truly gave words to feelings i couldn't explain.
Thoughtful and inspiring.
MHP, broke the plight of the aa woman unto bite sized pieces.