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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?
scarlettletters's review against another edition
3.0
I'm too lazy to go back and check, but I'm starting to wonder if I've ever given a collection more than three stars just because there is such a variety in there and the essays that I thought were great may not have hit home for some other people and vice versa. As a collection, it wasn't bad as there were a range of women represented, however it skewed pretty old. A large number of the essays seemed to involve reminiscing about the way their moms did their hair in the 1960s and while I'm definitely interested in vintage hairstyles, I think that a few more stories from younger women would have filled this out. There were a few POC essays but I think white women may have been over-represented as well.
The two stand-outs for me were the one about an orthodox Jewish woman who later escaped from her sect (and apparently wrote a book about it which I now want to read) and the one about a woman who was born in prison (and apparently wrote a book about it which I now want to read). The latter was less about hair than just maybe a personal essay inspired by hair, but that's really what a lot of these were--using hair as a jumping off point to talk about other issues.
The two stand-outs for me were the one about an orthodox Jewish woman who later escaped from her sect (and apparently wrote a book about it which I now want to read) and the one about a woman who was born in prison (and apparently wrote a book about it which I now want to read). The latter was less about hair than just maybe a personal essay inspired by hair, but that's really what a lot of these were--using hair as a jumping off point to talk about other issues.
jennadianne's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of stories of women who have a love/hate relationship with their hair. I never really realized how normal it is for women (regardless of race, ethnic background or religion) to hate the hair they were born with. How troublesome it is. How defining it is. How expensive it is. And how is usually takes a real hurdle in life to realize, "it's just hair".
oddandbookish's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book for free through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.
I enjoyed this collection of essays about women and their hair. This is actually a really interesting topic, because if you think about it, hair plays a big role in women's lives. I thought it started off really strong, but the essays got a bit weaker towards the end. Overall, a solid collection.
I enjoyed this collection of essays about women and their hair. This is actually a really interesting topic, because if you think about it, hair plays a big role in women's lives. I thought it started off really strong, but the essays got a bit weaker towards the end. Overall, a solid collection.
glitterandtwang's review against another edition
4.0
I received this book as part of a Goodreads Giveaway.
I was really impressed with all of the essays here -- I was thinking that they might end up being a bit repetitive, as they were all about hair -- but it's amazing how each author's relationship to hair, whether her own or someone else's, differs. From cultural and religious constraints and customs to experiences with chemotherapy, every piece offers a different, fascinating perspective. Well worth a read.
I was really impressed with all of the essays here -- I was thinking that they might end up being a bit repetitive, as they were all about hair -- but it's amazing how each author's relationship to hair, whether her own or someone else's, differs. From cultural and religious constraints and customs to experiences with chemotherapy, every piece offers a different, fascinating perspective. Well worth a read.
miss_tricia's review
4.0
I've been recommending this book to everyone. It feels particularly relevant to me right now, as I grow my hair out from the aggressively short and intentionally counter-cultural way I've been wearing it for the past few years, transitioning back to the ponytail of my teens and early 20's.
The essays explore the intersections of hair and faith, culture, identity, life-stage, illness, self-image, age, and family. Because there's no such thing as a "neutral" hair style for women, there's a lot communicated by any hair style we choose. I enjoyed the different perspectives, and especially hearing from women who are very different from me.
The essays explore the intersections of hair and faith, culture, identity, life-stage, illness, self-image, age, and family. Because there's no such thing as a "neutral" hair style for women, there's a lot communicated by any hair style we choose. I enjoyed the different perspectives, and especially hearing from women who are very different from me.
seebrandyread's review
3.0
Me, My Hair, & I gathers essays by 27 women on the trials of navigating the intersections of gender, culture, and hair. I was excited to read this book because hair has always fascinated me because of my own experiences as well as because of what a hot button issue it is when it comes to so many aspects of our identity from race, to class, to personal taste, family, and romantic relationships.
I'm not sure how the women were chosen to be in the book or whether they were prompted with a specific hair-related topic, but I started to notice some recurring themes--some interesting, others disappointing. Many essays discussed mother/daughter relationships and how hair is often a sticking point (or sometimes a bonding one). Quite a few women mentioned their Jewish heritage and its effects on their hair and/or their expectations of their hair. The majority of the essayists are middle-aged or older, so they often talked about the evolution of their style as they aged.
While there was some diversity in representation, I ultimately felt like it could've been much better. I wanted there to be a broader range of ages represented because, while I know who Farrah Fawcett and Audrey Hepburn are, they aren't inspiring quite as many hair decisions as they once did. There should've been much better racial and class representation because without them, the collection lacks relevance. Many of these women discuss monthly (or more) trips to high-end salons for treatments and styling, but few if any discuss the inability to afford the luxury.
Finally, I was disappointmented that not one trans women was included, another glaring oversight given that the subject of gender and femininity is obviously going to come up. Though some of the above issues were addressed in a way, they were often second hand accounts like a mother discussing her daughter wanting to cut her hair short or another not knowing how to style her child's non-white hair. We get the story but through the veil of whiteness.
I still think it's an excellent concept for a book, but without more thorough editing or a more carefully thought out approach to its construction, it is ultimately excluding more readers than it aims to reach.
I'm not sure how the women were chosen to be in the book or whether they were prompted with a specific hair-related topic, but I started to notice some recurring themes--some interesting, others disappointing. Many essays discussed mother/daughter relationships and how hair is often a sticking point (or sometimes a bonding one). Quite a few women mentioned their Jewish heritage and its effects on their hair and/or their expectations of their hair. The majority of the essayists are middle-aged or older, so they often talked about the evolution of their style as they aged.
While there was some diversity in representation, I ultimately felt like it could've been much better. I wanted there to be a broader range of ages represented because, while I know who Farrah Fawcett and Audrey Hepburn are, they aren't inspiring quite as many hair decisions as they once did. There should've been much better racial and class representation because without them, the collection lacks relevance. Many of these women discuss monthly (or more) trips to high-end salons for treatments and styling, but few if any discuss the inability to afford the luxury.
Finally, I was disappointmented that not one trans women was included, another glaring oversight given that the subject of gender and femininity is obviously going to come up. Though some of the above issues were addressed in a way, they were often second hand accounts like a mother discussing her daughter wanting to cut her hair short or another not knowing how to style her child's non-white hair. We get the story but through the veil of whiteness.
I still think it's an excellent concept for a book, but without more thorough editing or a more carefully thought out approach to its construction, it is ultimately excluding more readers than it aims to reach.
emtobiasz's review
3.0
Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher and Edelweiss for review purposes.
I was really intrigued by the concept of this book-- essays about hair and its personal and cultural meaning for many different writers-- but was a bit let down at the essays themselves. I think it was because there were so many essays that they all began to blend together for me. The combination, I think, of the similarity of some of the subject matter, with the short length of most of the essays, kept me from being able to remember them as distinct voices. Overall, still a brief interesting read.
I was really intrigued by the concept of this book-- essays about hair and its personal and cultural meaning for many different writers-- but was a bit let down at the essays themselves. I think it was because there were so many essays that they all began to blend together for me. The combination, I think, of the similarity of some of the subject matter, with the short length of most of the essays, kept me from being able to remember them as distinct voices. Overall, still a brief interesting read.
utopiastateofmind's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, there were some that resonated more with me than others, but I enjoyed all of them. The ones that I didn't relate to, were interesting perspectives I had never even considered.
book1jenn's review
3.0
I enjoyed this book for the most part. However, I got a little bored towards the end and didn't quite finish it. Some of the stories were really interesting and thought provoking. Some were just funny and some were sad. It was fun to hear about hair in different cultures and just what hair means to different people in general; sometimes hair is more that just appearance, sometimes changing our hair is a symbol for changing your life!