jessmbark's review

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75

Though it was a slow start, this memoir has something for everyone and should serve as an inspiration for anyone who wants to write their own.

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michaelion's review against another edition

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emotional informative tense medium-paced

4.25

she, and i cannot stress this enough, just like me. fr. minus the dating white women. but the circumstances surrounding that and explanations? wow! she just like me! fr!!!

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waytoomanybooks's review

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adventurous challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

I’m so grateful that I was assigned this book in my Contemporary Queer Literature class. I have been meaning to read the works of Audre Lorde for a while, and I’m so glad I finally read Zami. It contains some of the most beautiful, thoughtful, challenging, descriptive prose I’ve ever read. It’s both deeply personal and deeply relatable in many aspects. Lorde leaves no stone unturned as she looks back at her life in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. We learn lessons right alongside her, and she is an excellent teacher and storyteller. This is an absolute must-read for anyone who wants to know more about queer history, Black history, feminism, and so much more. Her deep-dives into intersectionality are invaluable. You won’t be able to put this book down.

Please heed all the many, many content warnings I and others have tagged. 

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earthbound_edits's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0


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lynnloveshobi's review

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dark emotional inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0


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mmirjamm's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

3.25


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zombiezami's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0


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aegireads's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0


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brnineworms's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Zami: A New Spelling of My Name is truly incredible. It’s beautifully written; raw, evocative, heartachingly sincere. Reading it, I felt like there was always something almost said – secrets just barely hidden behind a veil of metaphor, accessible only to those who know what to look for.
At times, the major themes of relationships, the self, and truth are explicitly highlighted, while at others they permeate the text almost – but not quite – unnoticed.

My only complaint (and even then it isn’t really a complaint) is that the book ends somewhat abruptly. I found myself yearning for a few more chapters. Still, I don’t think that’s enough to bring my rating down from its well-deserved five stars. If anything, it just goes to show how enthralling Lorde’s writing is.

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sorcha's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

4.25


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