lachellerising's reviews
174 reviews

I was interested in reading this after completing Goddesses in Everywoman. In terms of format and writing style, it definitely has a meandering feel to it. A lot of the redundancy in Goddesses in Every Woman also exists in this book which made it feel even more redundant reading these back to back.

Whether you enjoy this book or not largely depends on your purpose for reading it. I read this to get a better idea on archetypes for creative writing and may go back to reference specific gods to understand some of the complexity that come with certain personalities as it relates to manhood and patriarchy.

A very strong debut. I appreciate stories that can touch on the complexity of identity, lived experiences, and periods of change/transformation without being overly focused on trauma and adversity. Moniz does an excellent job at making her subjects feel real and specific yet deeply relatable. The prose was also lovely.

I’m overwhelmed by emotion. What an incredibly divine human being. Ms. Tyson was more than an actress, she was a force, a clairvoyant and deeply spiritual human being. This book is full of wisdom, insight and grace— the kind that could only be delivered by someone who lived such a uniquely rich life.

One of the things I appreciate most is the perspective she provides on our current political climate, specifically because she is someone who lived through so much, The Depression, The Civil Rights movement and so much more. Very few memoirs have moved me like this one. Given the timing of her passing being so soon after this book was released, it’s clear this was her final gift to us, one that I will cherish. Rest peacefully Ms. Tyson, there will never be another.

This one took me a really long time and I think it's mostly because it was hard to keep track of all of the characters, nicknames and backstory. Not my favorite book by Morrison but worth a read if you're interested in themes about creating/destroying safe spaces, groupthink, and morality

I resonated with Ashley’s story a lot. A Black millennial woman dealing with family estrangement, emotional neglect, wanting more for yourself and leaving the Midwest for bigger dreams. TW: she talks about sexual assault in this book as well. It’s pretty challenging to write a robust and compelling memoir when you’re so young but I found comfort in her story as I’m sure other people who can relate to her story will as well.

A well rounded perspective on Black women in pop culture and how it informs and influences us. I know the word nuance is overused these day but this book has it. It expands on pop culture with an equally critical and gracious perspective. Some of themes explored in this book are colorism, being “problematic”, fatphobia, the limitations of representation and what exactly it means to be care free (or free of cares). I appreciate that Blay balances her critiques with grace, even when speaking about herself and the way her own thinking has evolved.

A book about aimlessly floating through the haze of depression and lack of purpose , Didion does an excellent job at telling the story through the subtext of her prose. What’s not written seems to be as integral to the story as what is.