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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
There's a lot to learn from Morgan Jerkins' collection of essays in This Will Be My Undoing. Jerkins' experiences growing up black and female shapes much of her narratives, written for other black women. There's no need for her to translate her experiences so that white people understand; it's simply her stories. Jerkins' writing is honest and vulnerable, and sometimes to a fault. To some readers, the explicitness of of some of the chapters may seem a little off putting for the graphic nature, and even the most well-read reader might find themselves blushing at some of these scenes. She is passionate about what she writes about, and it's clear as day when you sit down with her and really take in what she's communicating.
As excellent as the book is, it's not without its faults. I can see why this collect of essays could be criticized as being polarizing and even not relatable to other black women. Being a white male myself, I can learn just as much from Jerkins' book as from the criticisms that it has received, which is definitely part of the never-ending learning process.
A worthwhile book that deserves to be read and praised and scrutinized and appreciated.
As excellent as the book is, it's not without its faults. I can see why this collect of essays could be criticized as being polarizing and even not relatable to other black women. Being a white male myself, I can learn just as much from Jerkins' book as from the criticisms that it has received, which is definitely part of the never-ending learning process.
A worthwhile book that deserves to be read and praised and scrutinized and appreciated.
I really enjoyed this book. I am a fan of Roxane Gay, Dr. Tressie McMillian Cottom, and Britney Cooper because I love reading books that are a collection of essays. I am giving this book 3 stars because I enjoyed this collection.
I do wish Jerkins further interrogated her views of darker-skinned Black women and women who do not have the same academic position as her. Her descriptions of other Black women actually made me think back to the discussion of beauty politics that came up in Thick (Dr. Tressie McMillian Cottom). Jerkins did not really interrogate the beauty politics between Black women. Rather her focus was more about white women. There is nothing wrong with having that focus, but I would have preferred hearing about the more nuanced comparisons. However, despite this one thing, I really enjoyed the book. I enjoyed reading about her understanding of falling at the intersection.
I do wish Jerkins further interrogated her views of darker-skinned Black women and women who do not have the same academic position as her. Her descriptions of other Black women actually made me think back to the discussion of beauty politics that came up in Thick (Dr. Tressie McMillian Cottom). Jerkins did not really interrogate the beauty politics between Black women. Rather her focus was more about white women. There is nothing wrong with having that focus, but I would have preferred hearing about the more nuanced comparisons. However, despite this one thing, I really enjoyed the book. I enjoyed reading about her understanding of falling at the intersection.
For the most part this was really well done. I especially loved the chapter for Michelle Obama. Other chapters though, the overall impact seemed really young. Not quite juvenile but not really mature either. I can't wait to see how she does as she continues her journey.
A balance of fearless self-exploration and powerful social commentary. Well done.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
I’m deeply appreciative of Jerkins’ vulnerability and honesty. I cannot possibly understand what it is to be a Black woman in America. But I am grateful to listen and learn so that I can be a better ally and advocate.
So bold and honest. This book wasn’t written for white women, but probably every white woman should read it to expand their idea of what feminism and solidarity really mean.
This book made me uncomfortable. Jerkins, a young black woman, wrote this collection of frank essays about “living at the intersection of black, female, and feminist in (white) America.” These are not easy conversations to have, and certainly the author doesn’t shy from these conversations and welcomes them. This book made me uncomfortable because I was forced to confront my ignorance and challenge some assumptions I had. This book confronted me with the truth about how difficult it is to be a black woman in the United States. Readers are not placed in this uncomfortable zone alone. Through this book, Jerkins challenges herself about what it means to be a black woman and examines her role as a cis-gender, able-bodied woman. She challenges here femininity and feminism with candor about her body and sexuality.
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From the beginning, this book challenged what I thought and what I thought I knew. I learned of the difference between the hair of black and white women. I never thought of the chemicals, pain, and time that went into smoothing and straightening the hair of a black woman. Never have I been confronted with the sensitivity of hair, the resistance to allow even lovers to touch it.
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I would not tell people they should read this book. Instead, I would take a physical copy and shove it in their hands and force them to read the second essay in the book, “How to be Docile,” written in list form, speaking directly to the reader. I would hand this book to another and make an appointment to follow up to talk about “A Hunger for Men’s Eyes” and what it takes to be a woman in this culture.
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I saw the author speak at Kepler’s books and the seriousness of her essays was made more striking by her youth and poise. This honesty was not undercut but enhanced by her confidence and sense of humor when talking about serious topics. I believe Jerkins will have many poignant books in her future and as quoted by Roxane Gay on the front of her book she is “a writer to be reckoned with.”
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Russell and I saw Ms. Jerkins in conversation at Kepler’s books yesterday at a wonderful event. I think this is a book everyone should read. I hope people are picking this up, and it seems like many are based on the attendance yesterday and that this book went immediately on best seller lists. • Trade Paperback & Audiobook • Nonfiction - Essays • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Recommended by Russell. • Purchased at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park.▪️
•
From the beginning, this book challenged what I thought and what I thought I knew. I learned of the difference between the hair of black and white women. I never thought of the chemicals, pain, and time that went into smoothing and straightening the hair of a black woman. Never have I been confronted with the sensitivity of hair, the resistance to allow even lovers to touch it.
•
I would not tell people they should read this book. Instead, I would take a physical copy and shove it in their hands and force them to read the second essay in the book, “How to be Docile,” written in list form, speaking directly to the reader. I would hand this book to another and make an appointment to follow up to talk about “A Hunger for Men’s Eyes” and what it takes to be a woman in this culture.
•
I saw the author speak at Kepler’s books and the seriousness of her essays was made more striking by her youth and poise. This honesty was not undercut but enhanced by her confidence and sense of humor when talking about serious topics. I believe Jerkins will have many poignant books in her future and as quoted by Roxane Gay on the front of her book she is “a writer to be reckoned with.”
•
Russell and I saw Ms. Jerkins in conversation at Kepler’s books yesterday at a wonderful event. I think this is a book everyone should read. I hope people are picking this up, and it seems like many are based on the attendance yesterday and that this book went immediately on best seller lists. • Trade Paperback & Audiobook • Nonfiction - Essays • ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ • Recommended by Russell. • Purchased at Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park.▪️
Some of the essays in this book were absolutely stellar, and I will definitely be picking up whatever Morgan Jerkins writes next. I think the thing that impressed me the most was her willingness to present her own personal experiences in a really straightforward, honest way. I would 100% recommend listening to the audiobook since she reads it. There were passages that were so powerful, I got chills.
However, parts of this memoir felt unfinished. There were instances where she said things that were INCREDIBLY jarring (i.e. harshly judging her low-income classmates and getting off to watching women violently brutalized in porn) without continuing to engage with those topics. It felt like she would start to say something insightful, then trail off into the next anecdote before completing her thoughts. As a result, it sometimes seemed like she was writing things purely for shock value. Maybe that was the point of some of the stories, but to me, it felt unintentional.
However, parts of this memoir felt unfinished. There were instances where she said things that were INCREDIBLY jarring (i.e. harshly judging her low-income classmates and getting off to watching women violently brutalized in porn) without continuing to engage with those topics. It felt like she would start to say something insightful, then trail off into the next anecdote before completing her thoughts. As a result, it sometimes seemed like she was writing things purely for shock value. Maybe that was the point of some of the stories, but to me, it felt unintentional.
Jerkins is so talented. A powerful and thoughtful collection of essays that I couldn’t put down.