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_tamara8464's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. This is a book that spoke to my soul. I felt like the author was a close friend of mine and new exactly what it was like for me growing up in the area that I did. She talks about SO much. The fact that some people think it's okay to say "you're not like the others", or "you're a good one" is a big problem. I'm happy I'm not the only person who thinks so. I am going to purchase this book; it is definitely worth re-reading.
blukat3's review against another edition
3.0
I finished this book wanting... more. I appreciated Morgan's candor and openness to talk about challenging, often hidden things that are discussed when it comes to Black womanhood. However, I finished the book feeling like there was more that wasn't explored.
jonapelson's review against another edition
5.0
Incredibly powerful. Everyone should read this. Extremely excited to see what else Morgan writes, she is quite a force.
jedwardsusc's review against another edition
3.0
Taken as a whole, this is an evocative and challenging collection of essays.
spinstah's review against another edition
4.0
This was an interesting and well-written collection of essays exploring the intersectionality of womanhood, feminism, and blackness. As a memoir, it reflects Jenkins’ own experiences, centering herself, and black women, in the prose. A thought-provoking and worthwhile read.
tensy's review against another edition
3.0
My feelings are mixed about this essay collection by Morgan Jerkins, a 25-year-old, black, female writer. As in most essay collections some chapters are stronger than others. Jerkins is an accomplished young woman with a degree from Princeton, an MFA in creative writing from Bennington, and she's a polyglot, speaking several languages fluently. In these essays, she tries to explore the intersection of being black and female. I'm not sure she succeeds in her goal. I think this book is an honest and brave memoir which depicts her experiences growing up and navigating life after college. Some of her views about men and marriage do not equate to a feminist point of view and are very unique to her religious background and disposition. However, she regularly makes leaps and generalizations connecting her experiences to that of all black women. There are plenty of interesting observations in this book, and I admire her willingness to describe painful moments in her life, but I must have missed what all the buzz is about in this collection. She certainly has potential, so I look forward to her growth as a writer. [Trigger warning: certain chapters are quite sexually explicit which some may find difficult to read.]
moorealexa's review against another edition
good read about intersectional feminism with bits of Jerkins' life thrown in!
hecman111's review against another edition
4.0
For those looking for an intro to intersectionality this could be your book. Jerkins leaves no rock unturned in this in-depth exploration of self and what it means to be a black woman today. Her opinions are strong, but the voice is a great addition to conversations on race and identity. This is an honest story (maybe too much so for some), but I appreciated her willingness to put it all out there for the world to see.
olicooper's review against another edition
1.0
I found out about this book in an article about anticipated 2018 releases. This was actually one of the top books being released in 2018 that I was excited about. I guess I could have been disappointed more, but nonetheless, it was still a crushing disappointment. There is plenty in here that is still good, strong points being made, etc. But overall, I was dissatisfied with the results.
I entirely blame the section, A Hunger for Men’s Eyes. This is basically an essay where she complains about her unsuccessful dating life. There are many things within this essay that seem irrelevant to the intersection of black, female, and feminist. She just comes off as shy, with low self-esteem, and committed to her virginity (which is fine, but I can’t say that it’s surprising or dastardly to hear that other young people are interested in fooling around before marriage). All of this is just whatever though, then she gets on the subject of her porn habits. Let's just say if this was written by a man, feminist everywhere would be advocating to boycott this book. She writes about the kind of porn that elicits the most intense orgasms: violence. Specifically violence directed towards white women.
“The more painful her moans sounded, the better.” ….the fuck? Wait! There is more. I cannot. make. this. shit. up:
“I relished multiple men pulling on all her limbs, using them to pleasure their penises. I wanted them to take her all at once. I wanted her to be completely overwhelmed, pushed towards the precipice between ecstasy and death. As long as the men didn’t turn me off by calling her a bitch or a slut as they rammed inside of her, I was satisfied when they put their hands around her neck or slapped the side of her face. I wanted to hear and see the slaps, the red marks on her body, and the disheveled hair. The more force, the better. I am almost at a loss for words for how consuming these orgasms were” (85).
She acknowledges later, that she does not like to watch ebony porn, because she feels like people who watch it are dehumanizing and objectifying these women, conceding that it's what she is also doing when watching. Ya think? Then she just moves right along. Like, you think you can talk about how much you love watching the brutalization of women, acknowledge it, and move on like there is nothing wrong with that? Okay.
I did appreciate a point she makes in the section "Human, Not Black" when she mentions a mentor of sorts (white) who invites her to dinner with her family. An old uncle starts throwing questions her way about why does she identify as "black" and not "human"? He also tries giving her some ignorant compliments, that aren't real compliments. She does her best to explain to this man. She later laments that her mentor doesn't speak up (she does later apologize for her uncle). She does say she wishes she would have jumped in, while acknowledging the fact that she isn't really sure if she would have liked her to speak up, on behalf of an experience that wasn't hers (being black). However, she makes a point that I try to remember, especially in these politically divisive times, where family members can be at polar opposite ends of the political spectrum.
When speaking to the avoidance of having difficult conversations with families, because it may just end in stale mates, disagreements, etc., she says,"Accepting this is a resignation and an act of self-preservation in order to retain out peace and sanity by not expending intellectual and emotional labor on those who haven’t asked for it." I do believe that there is a way to still have these conversations, without beginning a family feud. And I believe it is important for family to hear counterpoints from people the love and respect. Especially if minds refuse to change in every other conversation, who else will have the opportunity to open minds? (~185)
Anywho, read if you will. But personally, I have little to no tolerance for the fetishizing of violence against women. Not my style.
I entirely blame the section, A Hunger for Men’s Eyes. This is basically an essay where she complains about her unsuccessful dating life. There are many things within this essay that seem irrelevant to the intersection of black, female, and feminist. She just comes off as shy, with low self-esteem, and committed to her virginity (which is fine, but I can’t say that it’s surprising or dastardly to hear that other young people are interested in fooling around before marriage). All of this is just whatever though, then she gets on the subject of her porn habits. Let's just say if this was written by a man, feminist everywhere would be advocating to boycott this book. She writes about the kind of porn that elicits the most intense orgasms: violence. Specifically violence directed towards white women.
“The more painful her moans sounded, the better.” ….the fuck? Wait! There is more. I cannot. make. this. shit. up:
“I relished multiple men pulling on all her limbs, using them to pleasure their penises. I wanted them to take her all at once. I wanted her to be completely overwhelmed, pushed towards the precipice between ecstasy and death. As long as the men didn’t turn me off by calling her a bitch or a slut as they rammed inside of her, I was satisfied when they put their hands around her neck or slapped the side of her face. I wanted to hear and see the slaps, the red marks on her body, and the disheveled hair. The more force, the better. I am almost at a loss for words for how consuming these orgasms were” (85).
She acknowledges later, that she does not like to watch ebony porn, because she feels like people who watch it are dehumanizing and objectifying these women, conceding that it's what she is also doing when watching. Ya think? Then she just moves right along. Like, you think you can talk about how much you love watching the brutalization of women, acknowledge it, and move on like there is nothing wrong with that? Okay.
I did appreciate a point she makes in the section "Human, Not Black" when she mentions a mentor of sorts (white) who invites her to dinner with her family. An old uncle starts throwing questions her way about why does she identify as "black" and not "human"? He also tries giving her some ignorant compliments, that aren't real compliments. She does her best to explain to this man. She later laments that her mentor doesn't speak up (she does later apologize for her uncle). She does say she wishes she would have jumped in, while acknowledging the fact that she isn't really sure if she would have liked her to speak up, on behalf of an experience that wasn't hers (being black). However, she makes a point that I try to remember, especially in these politically divisive times, where family members can be at polar opposite ends of the political spectrum.
When speaking to the avoidance of having difficult conversations with families, because it may just end in stale mates, disagreements, etc., she says,"Accepting this is a resignation and an act of self-preservation in order to retain out peace and sanity by not expending intellectual and emotional labor on those who haven’t asked for it." I do believe that there is a way to still have these conversations, without beginning a family feud. And I believe it is important for family to hear counterpoints from people the love and respect. Especially if minds refuse to change in every other conversation, who else will have the opportunity to open minds? (~185)
Anywho, read if you will. But personally, I have little to no tolerance for the fetishizing of violence against women. Not my style.
alaiyo0685's review against another edition
4.0
Jerkins writes herself out of boxes, out of expectations, out of shame, out of self-hatred, and into truth and love and light. I read this book as a triumph, as Jerkins undoing what the oppressive and repressive society we grew up in started doing to her when she was too young to realize what was up. Morgan's story and mine have many similarities (shoutout to lightskinned black girls raised in small town South Jersey who grow up being told not to emulate the black folk they see and then struggle to navigate black spaces later in life, at Princeton and beyond), but her story isn't mine. It's hers, and we should all be honored that she has chosen to share herself with us. I'm hype for her not only because she's my friend, but also because I don't feel like black girls get to tell these stories and I am glad folks are eating hers up.