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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
shockingly bad - i had this on my paused list since january but there’s no way im going back to finish
emotional
reflective
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Wow, these essays are great. I love literary nonfiction. Memoir, poetry, cultural criticism woven together seamlessly.
This book is a collection of essays. But it's so much more than that and I know that I cannot do it justice. When you learn the alphabet is composed of these fragments of themes that compose the sentence of life. She's too black to be considered beautiful, too cool to not be like other girls in the eyes of men but when in the realization of her faults and pavement to grow, too female; a word uttered in repugnance. This book shows that you can grow and become stronger at every basis, something that is consistently shows throughout.
This book deals with a lot of powerful themes; colour scale of beauty; the mold of women; feminism viewed as evil; parenthood/family; police brutality; racial profiling; objectified black women that are supposed to represent a win; normalized hate culture; the careless use of the n-word in all settings and what it really means; homophobia/transphobia; exclusion on representation in the lgbtq+ community; fragile masculinity; mental illness and so many more topics that are fundamental.
This book is so incredibly raw, that's because it's real. It's not fiction. If I could, I would quote this entire book but it's better if you read it yourself.
"Black girl going too fast, I know nothing else mattered"
"Because a 14-year-old’s "I don’t care as long as they don’t try to talk to me" sounds at 23, a lot like, I accept you, I just don’t agree with your lifestyle. As if my heterosexual lifestyle is defaulted as better, as cleaner, as any more successful. As if my cisgendered heterosexuality is the only thing worthy of representation and open conversation"
"Black feminism makes me feel as if I should be grateful to just be seen, no matter how I’m being shown, because who knows when, or if, I will be considered again."
"They always win for their pain, they are never happy or revolutionary, they are always punished because they are black, and they are always ruined and gutted because they are women because society cannot imagine any other way for them to exist." - about black women "winning" prizes and praise
"What am I complaining for, is what she was saying to me, physical shackles are no longer around my ankles; they are just wrapped around my mind."
"I didn’t realize white people expected me to thrive in their representations of my blackness."
(I recieved a free copy of this arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)
This book deals with a lot of powerful themes; colour scale of beauty; the mold of women; feminism viewed as evil; parenthood/family; police brutality; racial profiling; objectified black women that are supposed to represent a win; normalized hate culture; the careless use of the n-word in all settings and what it really means; homophobia/transphobia; exclusion on representation in the lgbtq+ community; fragile masculinity; mental illness and so many more topics that are fundamental.
This book is so incredibly raw, that's because it's real. It's not fiction. If I could, I would quote this entire book but it's better if you read it yourself.
"Black girl going too fast, I know nothing else mattered"
"Because a 14-year-old’s "I don’t care as long as they don’t try to talk to me" sounds at 23, a lot like, I accept you, I just don’t agree with your lifestyle. As if my heterosexual lifestyle is defaulted as better, as cleaner, as any more successful. As if my cisgendered heterosexuality is the only thing worthy of representation and open conversation"
"Black feminism makes me feel as if I should be grateful to just be seen, no matter how I’m being shown, because who knows when, or if, I will be considered again."
"They always win for their pain, they are never happy or revolutionary, they are always punished because they are black, and they are always ruined and gutted because they are women because society cannot imagine any other way for them to exist." - about black women "winning" prizes and praise
"What am I complaining for, is what she was saying to me, physical shackles are no longer around my ankles; they are just wrapped around my mind."
"I didn’t realize white people expected me to thrive in their representations of my blackness."
(I recieved a free copy of this arc from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review)
Thank you Netgalley for a free eARC of When You Learn the Alphabet!
Kendra Allen's collection of essays, poems and personal memories plays nicely with different formats and dips in and out of stating her own experiences and opinions and sharing more private family history. I did find myself more interested in the latter, wanting to hear about the complex relationships she has with both her parents, and recognizing the need of a now adult child to reconcile feelings of love and hate towards the people most close to you. Allen also has a strong voice when talking of political topics of race, sexuality, and mental health but the predominant feeling of anger unfortunately often kept me at arms length. With movies, books, and especially music heavily influencing the essays it will be interesting to see how the topics of her essays change with time.
Kendra Allen's collection of essays, poems and personal memories plays nicely with different formats and dips in and out of stating her own experiences and opinions and sharing more private family history. I did find myself more interested in the latter, wanting to hear about the complex relationships she has with both her parents, and recognizing the need of a now adult child to reconcile feelings of love and hate towards the people most close to you. Allen also has a strong voice when talking of political topics of race, sexuality, and mental health but the predominant feeling of anger unfortunately often kept me at arms length. With movies, books, and especially music heavily influencing the essays it will be interesting to see how the topics of her essays change with time.
Kendra Allen's essays are at times lyrical, ranting, conversational, vulnerable, and always honest. I was moved by the incisiveness of Allen's voice. "How to Workshop N-Words" and "Father Can You Hear Me?" were my favorites, although the titular essay is searing and soaring. I love how Allen plays with form. And I'm excited to hear her read from this book at the 2019 Welty Symposium.
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced