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graecus_'s review against another edition
challenging
informative
3.25
overall i would say that this was good. there were a lot of essays that i found very informative (revolutionary “renegades” for example), and hook’s discussions of white supremacy and the ways that it goes unquestioned were very strong. because the book was published in the 90s and is heavily a critical reading of contemporary media, there was a lot of commentary that i as a white teenager in 2024 missed out on because i was unfamiliar with the media being referenced. i think the commentary would have been more impactful for me if i knew what was being discussed (i really liked the commentary on beloved). this book took me quite a while to get through, and i found to be a bit dense at times.
katie_skean's review against another edition
This one was more uneven than the other two I read and overall I didn't get as much out of it, athough the several chapters that I did understand I would recommend to anyone. It mostly me because a lot of it was out of my depth and was the sort of Foucalt-quoting academic writing that I was initially afraid of encountering to begin with. Other times, like her criticism of Anita Hill, it wasn't that is was so academic, but I was upset and confused by what she was saying. I didn't know if it just hadn't aged well, or maybe it was possible that it was kind of sloppy to begin with. She criticized her for not making clear why she was testifying and I didn't understand if she didn't understand the fact that Hill was subpoenaed or what. I would love to know more about what debate this writing sparked at the time and if hooks ever reconsidered and changed her stance. I'm glad that I got to see this more erring/human side to hooks, as I was so in awe of her intellect, compassion, and communicative abilities from the other two books I'd read. Still in awe overall and even still a little enchanted. She had a strong finish with the last essay on the ties between Native and Black Americans. Can't wait to read more.
serinas's review against another edition
informative
4.5
Black Looks is a work of essays written by bell hooks. They all discuss different topics - sex, violence, representation, stereotypes etc. The different topics all relate to Black people and how they are affected. Some of the topics discussed are: Black representation in media, Black mens masculinity and harmful stereotypes, and Black women as 'exotic' sex objects to white men. There are many more essays, in total 12, that can be read.
I rated it 4.5. There were many great essays to work with here, and Chapter 1: Loving Blackness as Political Resistance made for a strong start. Chapter 12 wasn't as good as the previous and chapters, but still good overall. I don't know if I've read too much into it ... but it feels like hooks is appropriating Native Americans by almost 'deleting' their own struggle, and only comparing it to the Black struggle. It feels biased, and is contradictory to what she writes in earlier chapters.
Another reviewer on Goodreads said something similar, and I'll have to agree with her ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2942721878?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=2 )
I learned a lot - even though this book is 30 years old now, it's still relevant.
I rated it 4.5. There were many great essays to work with here, and Chapter 1: Loving Blackness as Political Resistance made for a strong start. Chapter 12 wasn't as good as the previous and chapters, but still good overall. I don't know if I've read too much into it ... but it feels like hooks is appropriating Native Americans by almost 'deleting' their own struggle, and only comparing it to the Black struggle. It feels biased, and is contradictory to what she writes in earlier chapters.
Another reviewer on Goodreads said something similar, and I'll have to agree with her ( https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2942721878?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=2 )
I learned a lot - even though this book is 30 years old now, it's still relevant.
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Violence
mbenshirreffs's review against another edition
3.0
4-5 stars for the essays in the book except the last chapter which gets 1 and, unfortunately, leaves me with the feeling I need to return to the preceding ones with a more critically reading. Another reviewer summed up my feelings succinctly: "it’s a crushing let-down for the book to end on a conspiracy theory that she defends with a strawman; appropriation of Native American sociopolitical struggle; and a conspicuously biased perspective of history." (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2942721878?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=2)