This Is Major
Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope
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This Is Major
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Narrated by:
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Shayla Lawson
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By:
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Shayla Lawson
About this listen
From a fierce and humorous new voice comes a relevant, insightful, and riveting collection of personal essays on the richness and resilience of Black girl culture - for fans of Samantha Irby, Roxane Gay, Morgan Jerkins, and Lindy West.
Shayla Lawson is major. You don’t know who she is. Yet. But that’s okay. She is on a mission to move Black girls like herself from best supporting actress to a starring role in the major narrative. Whether she’s taking on workplace microaggressions or upending racist stereotypes about her home state of Kentucky, she looks for the side of the story that isn’t always told, the places where the voices of Black girls haven’t been heard.
The essays in This Is Major ask questions like: Why are Black women invisible to AI? What is “Black girl magic”? Or: Am I one viral tweet away from becoming Twitter famous? And: How much magic does it take to land a Tinder date?
With a unique mix of personal stories, pop culture observations, and insights into politics and history, Lawson sheds light on these questions, as well as the many ways Black women and girls have influenced mainstream culture - from their style, to their language, and even their art - and how “major” they really are.
Timely, enlightening, and wickedly sharp, This Is Major places Black women at the center - no longer silenced, no longer the minority.
©2020 Shayla Lawson (P)2020 HarperAudioListeners also enjoyed...
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As a young femme in 1990s Manila, Geena Rocero heard, “Bakla, bakla!,” a taunt aimed at her feminine sway, whenever she left the tiny universe of her eskinita. Eventually, she found her place in trans pageants, the Philippines’ informal national sport. When her competitors mocked her as a “horse Barbie” due to her statuesque physique, tumbling hair, long neck, and dark skin, she leaned into the epithet. By seventeen, she was the Philippines’ highest-earning trans pageant queen.
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Heart felt narration by author. Trail blazer woman!
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 37
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Maila Nurmi, the beautiful and sheltered daughter of Finnish immigrants, stepped off the bus in 1941 Los Angeles intent on finding fame and fortune. She found men eager to take advantage of her innocence and beauty but was determined to find success and love. Her inspired design and portrayal of a vampire won a costume contest that led to a small role on the Red Skelton show, which grew into a persona that brought her the notoriety she desired yet trapped her in a character she could never truly escape.
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Critic reviews
"Shayla Lawson's agile narration adds another layer of depth to this collection of essays about Black girlhood and womanhood.... What's especially remarkable is how Lawson alters her voice to fit her material. In an essay about performing For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/ When the Rainbow Is Enuf in high school, her tone is somber and reflective. In a piece about racism in the workplace, she infuses her voice with sharp humor. When she's talking about singer Diana Ross, you can hear the smile beneath her words. Her narration is as varied as the essays, making this audiobook a true pleasure to listen to." (AudioFile magazine)
What listeners say about This Is Major
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tyra
- 11-10-20
Love myself even more after reading this !
I love this book shows how black women manifest in greatness. The different examples and aspects described empowered me. Shayla Lawson was funny, bold, and real with this and I loved every bit of it!
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