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hollyfromthebigsky's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as a Christmas gift, and really enjoyed reading it over the past few weeks. The collection is well-curated, offering a wide range of perspectives and stories. As someone who has struggled with my hair (says every woman), I laughed in parts and shook my head in others. Great read.
apmreads's review against another edition
3.0
This was thought-provoking, and important. The conversations about identity, race, culture, sexuality are all there, and in the right place. It just felt a little too long.
nutti72's review against another edition
3.0
As with any collection of essays, some I enjoyed more than others. I will say it is interesting regardless of background how much thought & focus goes into hair.
juliahendrickson's review against another edition
Why do so many women hate their hair?
jessreads13's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting concept, poor execution. Very repetitive.
litdrivengirl's review against another edition
4.0
A few years ago when I heard about this book on Book Riot I was really excited and felt a deep sense of comradery...even though I hadn't read the collection yet. My own hair journey has been an up and down 'adventure'. Before I found my own copy of this it gave me pause from time to time to think of my own essay and what I would say. I may eventually embark on that writing venture.
I liked many and loved most (if not all) of the essays in this collection. Some may think an entire collection of essays about hair is ridiculous, but honestly hair is a unique creature all its own. How it captivates our world, how it is a banner of who we are, and how the journey is not fun, but worth finding common ground no matter our origin/background. This read made me grateful and put me at ease about my own life.
I liked many and loved most (if not all) of the essays in this collection. Some may think an entire collection of essays about hair is ridiculous, but honestly hair is a unique creature all its own. How it captivates our world, how it is a banner of who we are, and how the journey is not fun, but worth finding common ground no matter our origin/background. This read made me grateful and put me at ease about my own life.
rea_scott's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
This is a very enjoyable, quick read. Each chapter is a separate contributor telling an anecdote about her hair (her hair journey, relationship to her hair, etc).
As is the nature with a topic as dynamic and universal as hair, it's hard for a book to contain every single view point. While this book does a decent job at including a diverse narrative, there are many voices that are not present (examples: one woman feels most herself when she wears her hair in natural, but there isn't a contribution from a woman who prefers to relax her hair; there are several accounts of women who went against religious norms and wore their hair uncovered, but here isn't a chapter written by a woman who chooses to conceal her hair).
It's not a failure, it just could have been better. More voices would add to the discussion and reinstate the point of the book--which is that everyone has a unique relationship with their hair, and their choice, as long as it is their choice, is always right.
This is a very enjoyable, quick read. Each chapter is a separate contributor telling an anecdote about her hair (her hair journey, relationship to her hair, etc).
As is the nature with a topic as dynamic and universal as hair, it's hard for a book to contain every single view point. While this book does a decent job at including a diverse narrative, there are many voices that are not present (examples: one woman feels most herself when she wears her hair in natural, but there isn't a contribution from a woman who prefers to relax her hair; there are several accounts of women who went against religious norms and wore their hair uncovered, but here isn't a chapter written by a woman who chooses to conceal her hair).
It's not a failure, it just could have been better. More voices would add to the discussion and reinstate the point of the book--which is that everyone has a unique relationship with their hair, and their choice, as long as it is their choice, is always right.
cmclarabee's review against another edition
4.0
What I kept thinking of as a flaw in this book--the lack of author photos--turned out to be one of the things that made it great, because each time I started reading a new essay I just had to google its author. Although there is a contributors list at the end with brief bios, it was impossible to read a bunch of essays about women and their hair without wanting to know what each woman (and her hair) looked like. Inevitably, I read a bit about each of them too, and thus got to know a whole slew of authors who were new to me, and got re-acquainted with others (Jane Smiley, Anne Lamott, Deborah Tannen) on a different footing from any previous contacts I'd had with them. The collection also got me thinking about my own history with and feelings about my hair, and it turns out that hair is a pretty meaty subject!
There's a great interview with editor Elizabeth Benedict here: http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/10/04/a-new-book-uncovers-the-complex-relationships-women-have-to-their-hair/. I don't want to confirm the fear she mentions in the last question by talking superficially about her hair, but as a person who liberated myself from hair dye a couple of years back myself, I was delighted, when doing the above mentioned googling, to find that she had decided to go gray after writing her essay about not going gray for the collection. Just like Joan Baez, she looks fantastic gray.
Finally, I loved this book because my fabulous-haired best friend gave it to me, and had it signed for me by Ms. Benedict. What better present could a girl ask for?
There's a great interview with editor Elizabeth Benedict here: http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2015/10/04/a-new-book-uncovers-the-complex-relationships-women-have-to-their-hair/. I don't want to confirm the fear she mentions in the last question by talking superficially about her hair, but as a person who liberated myself from hair dye a couple of years back myself, I was delighted, when doing the above mentioned googling, to find that she had decided to go gray after writing her essay about not going gray for the collection. Just like Joan Baez, she looks fantastic gray.
Finally, I loved this book because my fabulous-haired best friend gave it to me, and had it signed for me by Ms. Benedict. What better present could a girl ask for?