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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
Fantastic. Jerkins reminded me a bit of a young, feminist, millennial Ta-Nehisi Coates at some points. While she is a capable narrator for audio I would recommend reading this collection. Some of the essays cover a wide range of issues only loosely tied together, which could be a bit hard to follow while listening. That would also be my one criticism - some of the essays - particularly Chapter 6, “Black Girl Magic,” could have been broken up into several different essays. From the disintegration of a loved one’s health, to mental illness, to the dark history of how modern medicine has abused black people, to Jerkins personal journey to self acceptance - she writes about each topic very well but seemed like each conversation would have been better served independently, rather than jumping around. I felt like there was a missed opportunity to go deeper.
This was a book I wanted to read in a single sitting, but after reading 2 essays at a time had to keep putting it down for the sake of my sanity. The essays are incredibly personal and speak to Jerkins' unique life experiences, but Jerkins' writing gutted me of every emotion there is to feel about being a Black woman in America right now. (I openly sobbed the entire letter to Michelle Obama.)
The collection was beautifully written, balancing storytelling and cultural criticism. The stories shared are so honest, and they all build on each other. There were also several important reminders and lessons for me, as a white female reader, about feminism and the ways in which people with power interact (or don't interact) with black women, which was moving to read.
Through observations of black womanhood, jerkins gives us a glimpse of what life is for the black woman. Using various personal anectdotes from her life in Harlem and lessons she has learned from women like Michelle Obama to Beyonce. Jerkins shows us how blackness is undeniably tied to our experiences as women and humans, not to be diminished or dismissed. These stories need to be uplifted.
3.5 stars. As a white woman, this was written neither to me nor for me, and it was important.
This was phenomenal. I was incredibly moved by the depth and vulnerability that Jerkins uses in her essays. Jerkins explores so many topics such as loneliness, pain, love, spirituality, relationships and houses them in discussions, not just of herself, but inside larger (often intersecting) concepts of blackness, feminism, classism, white supremacy and mental health. Jerkin's explorations unpacked a lot of ideas that I will need to sit with for a while and try to learn from. I highly recommend this book.
Morgan Jerkins's essay collection This Will Be My Undoing dives deep into her experiences as a girl through adulthood. Her style is personal; readers feel as though Jerkins is a close friend revealing the intricacies of her life. These stories prove unforgettable due to the poignancy of details and the craft with which Jerkins spins the tale.
Before you read this book, you need to know that if you’re white, it’s not written for you. As she states, you will get something out of it but it is not a book that you should read at the beginning of your journey into understanding systemic racism.
She is frank, honest, and provocative. Be ready to be challenged.
She is frank, honest, and provocative. Be ready to be challenged.
reflective
medium-paced
I wish the stories were a little tighter, the narrative sometimes lost focus for me. I still learned a lot and Jerkins is a unique voice.