You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
%20America.jpg)
441 reviews for:
This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America
Morgan Jerkins
4.03 AVERAGE
441 reviews for:
This Will Be My Undoing: Living at the Intersection of Black, Female, and Feminist in (White) America
Morgan Jerkins
4.03 AVERAGE
Sigh. I don't know what to say. This collection of essays is very good. Jerkins goes into the highs and lows of being a black woman in America. She goes into what it means to be a black woman while on travel (Russia and Japan). She goes into being a black woman trying to be successful, but still treated like she's from another world since many black men out there don't know what to do with a black woman who is out there being a success and doesn't have time for their foolishness.
Jerkins goes into the cycles of black women in America. When you are just a kid and realize that your hair is going to take a lot of your time/sanity to deal with since you get treated a certain way if your nice is "ethnic." How she felt being one of the smartest girls in her school and how that caused backlash among other black girls.
From there she goes into going to Princeton college and finding herself un-dateable. I had the opposite problem when I went to the University of Pittsburgh. I just used to lie and tell people I was in a relationship to be left alone. I was focused on finishing undergraduate and that was it. When I did get into graduate school was when I went and found a dude who wasn't worth anything. I am still mad that I loaned this boy (seriously he was such a child) money and he had the nerve to act like I was not being a "good" black woman since I refused to cook for him after coming home from an internship and classes. A few years ago he sent me a Facebook friend request. I was never so happy to block someone in my life.
A lot of Jerkins essays though go in unexpected ways. Her essay about Michelle Obama actually made me sad and mad. I still cannot believe how much Michelle Obama was attacked by the media and conservatives out there. I don't blame her for not running for office in 2020. I would be sitting on a beach and just drinking all the wine.
Another essay I loved was the one Jerkins wrote about how powerful Beyonce is to black women out there and how her latest album, Lemonade, touched a lot of us in many ways. You start to think you are the only one out there struggling with things, because as black women we are taught to keep our pain inside. Keep on walking, stay strong, don't ask for help, etc. Constantly being on guard to make sure you speak "right" around mixed groups, to not be the "angry black woman" so people can dismiss your points is exhausting as hell.
Though I gave this four stars, I still marked it as a favorite. The only reason why I gave this four stars is that in some of the essays, Jerkins jumps around a lot that can get a bit confusing if you don't have context for some of the things she is talking about. Though I liked her essay on "Black Girl Magic" she goes into what the movement was about, how some people attacked it, and then a personal subject about a medical procedure she decided to undergo. It was a bit crowded in there for me in that chapter. I would have liked it if it was broken up.
I also just liked the "How to Survive: A Manifesto on Paranoia and Peace" was not for me. I liked "How to be Docile" much better since she uses similar writing styles in both essays.
I have never heard of Jerkins before, but am going to go out and take a look at some of her writing as soon as possible.
Jerkins goes into the cycles of black women in America. When you are just a kid and realize that your hair is going to take a lot of your time/sanity to deal with since you get treated a certain way if your nice is "ethnic." How she felt being one of the smartest girls in her school and how that caused backlash among other black girls.
From there she goes into going to Princeton college and finding herself un-dateable. I had the opposite problem when I went to the University of Pittsburgh. I just used to lie and tell people I was in a relationship to be left alone. I was focused on finishing undergraduate and that was it. When I did get into graduate school was when I went and found a dude who wasn't worth anything. I am still mad that I loaned this boy (seriously he was such a child) money and he had the nerve to act like I was not being a "good" black woman since I refused to cook for him after coming home from an internship and classes. A few years ago he sent me a Facebook friend request. I was never so happy to block someone in my life.
A lot of Jerkins essays though go in unexpected ways. Her essay about Michelle Obama actually made me sad and mad. I still cannot believe how much Michelle Obama was attacked by the media and conservatives out there. I don't blame her for not running for office in 2020. I would be sitting on a beach and just drinking all the wine.
Another essay I loved was the one Jerkins wrote about how powerful Beyonce is to black women out there and how her latest album, Lemonade, touched a lot of us in many ways. You start to think you are the only one out there struggling with things, because as black women we are taught to keep our pain inside. Keep on walking, stay strong, don't ask for help, etc. Constantly being on guard to make sure you speak "right" around mixed groups, to not be the "angry black woman" so people can dismiss your points is exhausting as hell.
Though I gave this four stars, I still marked it as a favorite. The only reason why I gave this four stars is that in some of the essays, Jerkins jumps around a lot that can get a bit confusing if you don't have context for some of the things she is talking about. Though I liked her essay on "Black Girl Magic" she goes into what the movement was about, how some people attacked it, and then a personal subject about a medical procedure she decided to undergo. It was a bit crowded in there for me in that chapter. I would have liked it if it was broken up.
I also just liked the "How to Survive: A Manifesto on Paranoia and Peace" was not for me. I liked "How to be Docile" much better since she uses similar writing styles in both essays.
I have never heard of Jerkins before, but am going to go out and take a look at some of her writing as soon as possible.
“White people think it is a compliment when they do not ‘see’ you as a black person. In their minds, Black people embody the biggest clusterfuck of societal ills: out-of-wedlock pregnancies, single mothers, drug addicts, high school drop-outs. They are robbers, killers, rapists, convicts, degenerates, vegabonds, couch potatoes. Their pants are always sagging, they talk too loudly, they can barely speak English correctly, they dance too sexually. They cannot assimilate to white society, and if they seem perfectly okay with eschewing it, then they are condemned to being black because in a white society, blackness only exists as punishment...In my experience, white people are the only ones who purport to advance equality through the erasure or rejection of marginalized people’s identities, which signals to me that they have fooled themselves into believing they are ‘unraced’. This belief is false, because it is based on the idea that whiteness is the human standard and that furthermore, by virtue of them being white, they are the arbiters of humanity.”
I learned a lot reading this book. I appreciated her honesty and her perspective very much.
I learned a lot reading this book. I appreciated her honesty and her perspective very much.
It was good, but I had to knock off a star for some of the we-are-one experiences (e.g., going to the Russian lady’s house) and TMI.
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Part memoir, part essay collection, Jerkins examines black girlhood and the progression into adulthood as a Millennial; coming to age as hashtags become popular, Beyonce rules, and our nation cracks under continued racial violence.
Some of these stories are familiar: The awkward geek trying to get ahead. The no luck lover who wants to wait til marriage. Jerkins elevates these stories with sharing the additional layers of intersectionality that plague black women; who must resolve any issues of her blackness with also that of being a woman. Determining which identity takes priority and which identity suffers afterwards.
And some of these stories are not: The ones regarding daily rituals and beauty regimens. The cross section of faith within the black community and where faith meets progressive ideals. The privilege of being lighter skinned that comes with the harrowing explanation.
Jerkins writes about the hardships placed on black women while also exploring the beauty and magic that is all their own.
Some of these stories are familiar: The awkward geek trying to get ahead. The no luck lover who wants to wait til marriage. Jerkins elevates these stories with sharing the additional layers of intersectionality that plague black women; who must resolve any issues of her blackness with also that of being a woman. Determining which identity takes priority and which identity suffers afterwards.
And some of these stories are not: The ones regarding daily rituals and beauty regimens. The cross section of faith within the black community and where faith meets progressive ideals. The privilege of being lighter skinned that comes with the harrowing explanation.
Jerkins writes about the hardships placed on black women while also exploring the beauty and magic that is all their own.
This is a solid essay collection with a couple notable standouts, particularly Black Girl Magic and Human, Not Black. Jerkins tackles topics of girlhood and womanhood with fierce precision while allowing layers of vulnerability and honesty to shine through.
Not what I expected at all. An intensely personal memoir about being Black, feminism, and looking for love.
Damn but that was good! I'm insanely jealous at how talent Morgan Jerkins is - she's only a couple years younger than myself (aka young-ish) but she has such a great 'voice'. I will read (listen) to whatever she puts out there man, so so good!