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You Are Your Best Thing

Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Tarana Burke and Dr. Brené Brown bring together a dynamic group of Black writers, organizers, artists, academics, and cultural figures to discuss the topics the two have dedicated their lives to understanding and teaching: vulnerability and shame resilience.
Contributions by Kiese Laymon, Imani Perry, Laverne Cox, Jason Reynolds, Austin Channing Brown, and more
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE AND BOOKRIOT
It started as a text between two friends.
Tarana Burke, founder of the ‘me too.’ Movement, texted researcher and writer Brené Brown to see if she was free to jump on a call. Brené assumed that Tarana wanted to talk about wallpaper. They had been trading home decorating inspiration boards in their last text conversation so Brené started scrolling to find her latest Pinterest pictures when the phone rang.
But it was immediately clear to Brené that the conversation wasn’t going to be about wallpaper. Tarana’s hello was serious and she hesitated for a bit before saying, “Brené, you know your work affected me so deeply, but as a Black woman, I’ve sometimes had to feel like I have to contort myself to fit into some of your words. The core of it rings so true for me, but the application has been harder.”
Brené replied, “I’m so glad we’re talking about this. It makes sense to me. Especially in terms of vulnerability. How do you take the armor off in a country where you’re not physically or emotionally safe?”
Long pause.
“That’s why I’m calling,” said Tarana. “What do you think about working together on a book about the Black experience with vulnerability and shame resilience?”
There was no hesitation.
Burke and Brown are the perfect pair to usher in this stark, potent collection of essays on Black shame and healing. Along with the anthology contributors, they create a space to recognize and process the trauma of white supremacy, a space to be vulnerable and affirm the fullness of Black love and Black life.
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    • Library Journal

      Starred review from May 1, 2021

      With this groundbreaking anthology, Burke, founder of the Me Too movement, and Brown (The Gifts of Imperfection), bring together several Black writers to discuss forms of shame that Black people endure on a regular basis and the resilience they're forced to build in response. After a dialogue between Burke and Brown on whiteness and privilege, the editors write that this is a book specifically about Black people, and they succeed in showing the vast scope of Black experiences. Highlights include essays by Tracey Michae'l Lewis-Giggetts on shame narratives embedded within the Black church, and Laverne Cox on working through her internalized transphobia. In a powerful essay, Yolo Akili Robinson reminds readers that we are often taught, through a lens of white supremacy, to be ashamed of being Black. What stands out in this book is its argument that we don't choose to take on shame or resilience; rather, Burke writes, these are conditions that Black people are often subjected to, especially where disability and sexuality intersect with race. VERDICT Within these pages, Black readers in general, and Black women in particular, will find at least one essay they can relate to, or that offers validation for their lived experience. An essential read.--Stephanie Sendaula, Library Journal

      Copyright 2021 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      Starred review from June 15, 2021
      Essays on shame and vulnerability from a diverse array of Black thinkers. "White supremacy," writes co-editor Burke, "has added another layer to the kind of shame [Black people] have to deal with, and the kind of resilience we have to build, and the kind of vulnerability that we are constantly subjected to whether we choose it or not." Burke teams up with researcher and bestselling author Brown in a collection of 20 essays by Burke, actor Laverne Cox, scholar Imani Perry, writers Kiese Laymon and Jason Reynolds, and a host of educators, artists, activists, and other thought leaders who explore the Black experience with shame resilience and vulnerability. They frame the issues through a variety of lenses, including mental illness, masculinity, religion, disability, addiction, queer identity, academia, and grief. In a stunning essay among many standouts, Sonya Renee Taylor writes, "My mommy was dead in every city of every nation on the planet and that truth bulldozed me." Fittingly, the title of this extraordinary collection is derived from a line from Toni Morrison's Beloved, a novel about the nature of freedom and the reclamation of self. Tanya Denise Fields, founder and executive director of the Black Feminist Project, deconstructs the shame she felt as a victim of intimate partner violence, and Reynolds reckons with a shameful moment in his relationship with his beloved mother. Austin Channing Brown writes about "foreboding joy" and the moment she saw her toddler son's reflection in the mirror; he was wearing a hoodie and looked like a tiny Trayvon Martin. Penned by a refreshing blend of well-known and lesser-known contributors, these compact, deeply reflective essays pack emotional punches usually found only in full-length memoir. The writers powerfully articulate not only their challenges, but also their hope, resilience, and practical wisdom. An impressive, intimate, inclusive, truth-telling treasure.

      COPYRIGHT(2021) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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