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A review by lilcookie
All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks
5.0
I am proud of myself for savoring this book over the last few months. In this book, hooks wrote something to sip on, to marinate, to let simmer as the ideas are introduced on each page and I get the pleasure of parsing through them. Her words resonated with so many parts of me and the experiences I've had, as well as those I have witnessed and shared in the therapy room. This quote is one of my (many) favorites because it communicates a truth I believe wholeheartedly - one's capacity to love does not simply disappear and it can be ignited or re-ignited with care.
I agree with folks' criticisms about some of the ways hooks reduced complex situations (see: Monica Lewinsky, religiosity) and it is always interesting to imagine what it was like for her to have been writing, then have written this treatise on love while living in America, a place where the wounds are gaping. While it is not a perfect read, it is absolutely one of the best reads I've had in my life. It's a book I always want to have two copies of - one to keep and one to lend so others can explore hook's visions on love.
To love fully and deeply puts us at risk. When we love, we are changed utterly.
"In an ideal world we would all learn in childhood to love ourselves. We would grow, being secure in our worth and value, spreading love wherever we went, letting our light shine. If we did not learn self-love in our youth, there is still hope. The light of love is always in us, no matter how cold the flame. It is always present, waiting for the spark to ignite, waiting for the heart to awaken and call us back to the first memory of being the life force inside a dark place waiting to be born -- waiting to see the light."
I agree with folks' criticisms about some of the ways hooks reduced complex situations (see: Monica Lewinsky, religiosity) and it is always interesting to imagine what it was like for her to have been writing, then have written this treatise on love while living in America, a place where the wounds are gaping. While it is not a perfect read, it is absolutely one of the best reads I've had in my life. It's a book I always want to have two copies of - one to keep and one to lend so others can explore hook's visions on love.
To love fully and deeply puts us at risk. When we love, we are changed utterly.