Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories by Gabrielle Union

7 reviews

lisaarnsdorf's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I really enjoyed listening to Union's essays. She covers the gamut, from her struggles with IVR and surrogacy to her epic dance battle with Bruno Mars to the appropriation of Black culture, lives, and bodies for entertainment. I especially liked the chapter she did exploring her approach to Isis in Bring It On. There were many moments when I was laughing out loud while walking alone down the street. My eyes were opened to some important topics, like the use of Black Face in current pop culture. 

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Infertility

Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Miscarriage, Rape, and Alcohol

kelly_e's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Title: You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories
Author: Gabrielle Union
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: September 14, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Vulnerable • Empowering • Witty

📖 S Y N O P S I S

A lot has changed in the four years since Gabrielle Union published her first book We're Going to Need More Wine, so she's back with all new stories to inspire, encourage, empower, and to offer hope to those who struggle. She shares about her journey with surrogacy and on becoming a mom, and delves into tackling racist institutions and practices in the entertainment industry.

💭 T H O U G H T S

After reading We're Going to Need More Wine, I knew I needed to pick up Gabrielle Union's second book You Got Anything Stronger? to see what else she had to say. These new stories and conversations go even deeper touching on suicidal thoughts, becoming a mom via surrogacy, being a working mom, raising a LGBTQIA+ child, aging as a Black woman, racism within the industry, among other things.

I commend Union for digging deep and exposing the most vulnerable aspects of her life with the hope of making others experiencing similar things feel less alone. Knowing you are not alone can be one of the most healing ways to move through life's most difficult moments. Written with both humour and sincerity, this book isn't all heavy. She mixes in some lighthearted stories to create a nice balance. It's great on audio, read by the author herself which makes the experience that more genuine.

Again with this one, I struggled with the normalization of drinking culture and the references of turning to alcohol when things get hard. I do think the titles of both her books were chosen with distaste. And yet, these books open up some much needed dialogue on important topics, so I had to look past the titles.

Both books are worth reading, but I would definitely recommend reading her earlier publication first simply for context as some topics are a continuation while others are completely new. There's a little something for everyone in each, although I think I gravitated towards this one a tad more. For me, it just hit harder.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who want to be empowered
• Gabrielle Union fans

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"The right thing to do is, as usual, the hard thing to do."

"I let her tell me who she was. I listened to her, even before she had words."

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racism, and Racial slurs

Moderate: Sexual assault, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Grief, Rape, Medical content, Alcohol, Homophobia, Infidelity, and Transphobia

madisonfrank's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective fast-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Police brutality, Rape, Cultural appropriation, Racial slurs, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Infidelity, Infertility, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Cursing, Medical content, Mental illness, and Blood

kyrstin_p1989's review

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. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Deadnaming, Slavery, Sexual assault, Outing, Misogyny, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Rape, Racism, and Racial slurs

megbodz's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage

Moderate: Alcohol, Medical content, Transphobia, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Hate crime, Infertility, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Rape

zoes_human's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Yet again, I find myself blown away by the introspection and wisdom of this woman.  In this more than worthy successor to <u>We're Going to Need More Wine</u>, Gabrielle this time shares her experiences with miscarriage, surrogacy, rape trauma recovery, white supremacy, perimenopause, loving and supporting the women in her life, finding her place as a stepmom, a dance battle with Bruno Mars, and a Thanksgiving dinner wrecked by Lemoncello. 

There are triggers in here, but there is also joy and wisdom and a celebration of life and learning. Her vulnerability is a gift to us all.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infertility

Moderate: Alcohol, Cultural appropriation, Hate crime, Police brutality, Racial slurs, Racism, and Sexism

Minor: Deadnaming, Grief, Homophobia, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pregnancy, Rape, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia

leighannebfd3b's review against another edition

reflective fast-paced

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Grief, Infertility, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Medical content, Pregnancy, and Rape