Reviews tagging 'Racism'

How We Show Up: Reclaiming Family, Friendship, and Community by Mia Birdsong

7 reviews

waybeyondblue's review

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Sexual harassment, Transphobia, Racism, Pregnancy, Rape, Grief, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

spinesinaline's review

hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

This book has a lot of thought-provoking points on community, based on the author’s own experiences as well as interviews with people in her sphere across the United States. There’s also a good amount of time spent on privilege and folks coming from different backgrounds in life, so it feels like a well-balanced approach.

I especially liked Birdsong’s discussion of friendships, how societal norms tend to lead people to isolate with our romantic partner but intentionally prioritizing friendships is an important step in building this community around you, and these friendships are should be just as worthy and valued as romantic relationships.

The book lends more towards a memoir at times and there were moments that felt very personal in a way that was alienating, to myself and I imagine other folks interested in building community. In one section, the author writes about a desire to have more intimate dinners with friends, a way for folks to drop in relatively unannounced so they can spend more casual time together. To do this, she emails 20 of her closest friends. Imagining twenty close friends who also happen to live in the same area so they can drop in for dinner is mind-boggling, so at times it felt like the author skipped over the initial step in building community for those who don’t already have a surrounding of dozens to hundreds of people in their lives. Still an interesting read and many points I’ll be thinking over in the future.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief

Moderate: Homophobia, Sexual assault, and Racism

readingbrb's review against another edition

informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Minor: Homophobia, Sexual assault, Racism, and Domestic abuse

amberinpieces's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective fast-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Classism, Racism, and Colonisation

Minor: Addiction, Alcohol, Biphobia, Cultural appropriation, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Rape, Toxic friendship, and Toxic relationship

skudiklier's review against another edition

hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book was super helpful in thinking about how I want to create community in my life, and make my existing relationships closer and more intimate. Covid makes these things harder right now, but I really want to use some of the ideas in this book once I can. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse

Moderate: Sexual assault, Violence, Rape, Racism, Pregnancy, Medical trauma, Grief, and Cursing

readalongwithnat's review

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

So glad my friend recommend this one to me and I especially enjoyed it on audio, though I plan to pick up a copy for my shelves as well. I really liked the content of this book and the emphasis on chosen family. One thing I didn't like is that there was a lot about how single moms need community, but there really wasn't any mention of single dads needing help.

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Racism, Death of parent, Grief, and Rape

Mention of 9/11

ctrl_shift_dlt's review

hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Cursing

Minor: Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, Racism, Rape, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Grief, Genocide, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, and Cancer