Scan barcode
A review by 2treads
Things I Have Withheld by Kei Miller
challenging
informative
reflective
5.0
"We write because there are always things we have withheld. We die because things have been withheld from us, which is to say, respect; which is to say, dignity; which is to say, love." -from the essay This Is How We Die
What will it take for the uncomfortable questions to be asked, for the true, raw answers to be given; that'll make the ones who asked and the ones who answered to really sit with all that question and answer truly means?
What will honesty cost us? Should it cost us? How will we move forward with each other after feeling as if a question, an answer, rubbed us raw and jangled our nerves; flipping the world upside down.
With this collection of essays, Miller is not only revealing parts of himself, making his vulnerabilities known, he is also exploring the many ways in which we hide ourselves to shield ourselves. Because when have we ever been truly free to express our pain and anger, our disappointments and expectations without the carefully constructed fount of racial stratification reminding us of lines we dare not forget are there.
The complexities that make our families, communities, and countries all impact us daily; rewarding and breaking down in equal measures, but always there is a call to act, whether in service to ourselves or others.
The body forms the central focus of these essays. The ways in which bodies propel/suppress conversations and reactions, how they can be bound or free, used/discarded, celebrated/denounced, stories told and hidden, power given/taken; how when we are attuned, all the small truths can be seen.
This is the time to be brave, weak, to speak without fear, to face what makes us uncomfortable, to voice our pain and hesitancy, to trace the maps that are our bodies so that we can truly come to know them. Because in knowing, we are freed.
What will it take for the uncomfortable questions to be asked, for the true, raw answers to be given; that'll make the ones who asked and the ones who answered to really sit with all that question and answer truly means?
What will honesty cost us? Should it cost us? How will we move forward with each other after feeling as if a question, an answer, rubbed us raw and jangled our nerves; flipping the world upside down.
With this collection of essays, Miller is not only revealing parts of himself, making his vulnerabilities known, he is also exploring the many ways in which we hide ourselves to shield ourselves. Because when have we ever been truly free to express our pain and anger, our disappointments and expectations without the carefully constructed fount of racial stratification reminding us of lines we dare not forget are there.
The complexities that make our families, communities, and countries all impact us daily; rewarding and breaking down in equal measures, but always there is a call to act, whether in service to ourselves or others.
The body forms the central focus of these essays. The ways in which bodies propel/suppress conversations and reactions, how they can be bound or free, used/discarded, celebrated/denounced, stories told and hidden, power given/taken; how when we are attuned, all the small truths can be seen.
This is the time to be brave, weak, to speak without fear, to face what makes us uncomfortable, to voice our pain and hesitancy, to trace the maps that are our bodies so that we can truly come to know them. Because in knowing, we are freed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and Homophobia