This collection of short essays, novels, and poems, have the purpose to inspire and inform black woman. This book includes works that were stemmed from the teachings of women like Toni Morrison and Audre Lorde, whose main objective was to provide a outlet for any women regardless of their race, class, gender, religion, and physical ability. Books like this provide a place where women can read a story and think, they are talking directly to me. That sort of thinking leads to one major conclusion. REPRESENTATION MATTERS!! As an African American woman, if I find science fiction or fantasy literature that is written with a person of color as the main character, it makes me feel included and valued.
My personal opinion about this book however, is that I didn't enjoy it. I have read about 50% of the essays in this book in my women and gender studies classes at Mizzou and the other 50% are writing that are targeted towards women of color who have not "discovered themselves" and who are still trying to find ways to embrace their identity. I personally know who I am and where I come from, so a book like this would have been more exciting for women who are seeking identity discovery and meaning, where as I am looking for inspiration and guidance from one person of color to the other.
I also want to add that books like this are so important to read, which is why I checked it out despite having read some of the pieces in it. Reminding one's self who you are is okay. Self acceptance is okay and I believe due to all the racial injustices that marginalized communities face, we forget about that. Books like these allow us to love ourselves in ways that others have been denied and sometimes it is reassuring to have that, especially in our society today.
No comments:
Post a Comment