Reviews with content warning for Rape - You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories

You Got Anything Stronger by Gabrielle Union was a fast and insightful read. I read the e-book along with the audiobook and it was a great combination. Union is an amazing storyteller and does not shy away from difficult subjects. She is brutally honest about her marriage, motherhood, and the joys AND barriers she experiences as a Black woman navigating a world that continues to uphold white supremacy.

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habitualrereader's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Thought provoking and beautifully written, Gabrielle Union contemplates motherhood, relationships, strength, and blackness. I love Gabrielle Union’s voice and this series of essays is organized and paced beautifully.

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mydiverseshelf's review

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

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shelby1994's review

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dark inspiring fast-paced

4.0

TW: Rape

If you haven’t already read Union’s first book, “We’re Going to Need More Wine,” I’m sorry for you and life you’re only half living. 4 years after the SMASH success of that memoir, Union came back with this collection of short essays and life-stories that filled a memoir-sized hole in my heart.

While some (read: me) may question why any person needs TWO memoirs, I would say that this book is much less of a chronological life-story as compared to the first book. Instead, Union hops from point-to-point, taking us back to her teen years in the aftermath of her rape at gunpoint, through the highs and lows and laughs of her career, to her struggle with feeling worthy in the midst of infertility.

I love a good marriage story, but beyond that, I love a woman who isn’t caught up in making her marriage “look good” on paper. Anyone can throw in a few unflattering anecdotes about their spouse, and wrap it up in a neat bow saying “we worked through it and are #STRONGERTHANEVER.” But Union has always been ceaselessly blunt when it comes to the imbalance that exists within her marriage to Dwayne Wade, and the grace they both have to commit to in order to accept that sometimes shit just sucks.

My only reservation about this book is that it veers into career advice a little too often. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s not a topic that I find myself very engaged with, especially if I’m picking up a book outside of work hours.

Read if:

1. You think Bruno Mars doesn’t get the respect he deserves

2. You’re thinking about starting a family – in whatever form that takes for you

3. You can’t handle your lemoncello

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turophile's review against another edition

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4.75

Another Gabrielle Union memoir? Narrated by her? Yes Please! So good,especially when you consider that she did not use a ghost writer. Like her first book, this book is not a chronological retelling of her life, but rather a series of mini-essays around different themes of her life. Infertility. Aging. Sexual Violence. Racism. More. She has such a vulnerable, yet strong and ultimately hopeful voice. I can’t wait for the next one. 4.75/5

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jhyde177's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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kyrstin_p1989's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.0

Funny, sincere, and heart-warming, Union paints a picture of herself and her family that shows that we’re all people trying to get through this crazy thing called life. Union tells anecdotes about her life in a down to earth way making her seem less like a celebrity and more like a normal woman. She discusses her triumphs and failures, her fears and her hopes, her beliefs and her knowledge of history so effortlessly that reading this book feels like having coffee with an old friend.

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