A review by maralyons
See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur

5.0

Valarie Kaur’s ‘See No Stranger’ is a fascinating, life affirming, poetically written memoir and call to action for us all. She is a Sikh American woman that has devoted her life to care and action as an activist, civil rights lawyer, and filmmaker. Kaur’s ethos is to “see no stranger” and to wonder about everyone, showing them compassion, even if their words and/or actions are filled with hate. Hatred often comes from a place of pain or loss. She details the hate speech and violent actions suffered by so many due to skyrocketing Islamophobia and bigotry in the US following the 9/11 attacks. Kaur recounted stunning acts of forgiveness by individuals and a focus on building community following brutal hate crimes. Kaur uses birth as a metaphor for activists and encourages them to push and breathe and repeat the process. This will give us endurance in activism. My one complaint is that the book seemed a little longer than it needed to be and some of the chapters were a bit meandering. The audiobook was wonderful as Kaur sings the Sikh devotional poems that are interspersed throughout the text. Valarie Kaur’s openness, vulnerability, and strength are absolutely inspiring and I will try harder to embody these characteristics in my own life.

Thank you NetGalley and One World/Random House Publishing Group for providing this ARC.