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A review by koreanlinda
The Body is Not an Apology, Second Edition: The Power of Radical Self-Love by Sonya Renee Taylor
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
I see Sonya’s naked body on the cover of the book. It has little emotional effect on me. I am used to seeing her naked body on her Instagram posts. She is consistent in showing up unapologetically with her body.
When I thought of my body in connection to my mother’s and my deceased maternal grandmother’s, I immediately thought of Sonya’s book. I thought it was time for me to go beyond checking her IG posts and read her book in its full form.
This book makes a stark contrast to the other book I have been reading: My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem. They both talk about healing through our bodies, but how they approach the topic were different. Sonya truly understands the intersectionality of body terrorism in regard to all shapes of identities. She tries to cover all marginalized groups in the United States and dedicates the last chapter in sharing strategies to fight against the specific oppression for each group. On page 91, Sonya informs her readers of the US governments’ killing of Jewish refugees during the World War II as well as the Asian immigrants’ suffering due to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Meanwhile, as an Asian American, I constantly felt erased in Resmaa's book. He made it seem like racially-traumatizing interactions only take place among three groups of people in the US: Black, White, and Blue (police force). Or at least, they took the center stage.
What both authors agree on is that healing begins within ourselves. Sonya quotes Lilla Watson, an Aboriginal Australian artist and activist, “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” Because body terrorism resides in all bodies, we need to start with our own internalized body terrorism. (p.89)
Sonya adds further that internal transformation is only the beginning, quoting civil and labor rights activist Grace Lee Boggs. We should not stop at rebellion by expressing our emotions toward the oppressors. We need to go beyond rebellion toward revolution. If we do not confront the oppressive ideas in ourselves, when we achieve power, we will continue the oppressing acts of our predecessors. (p. 89)
There are more exquisite ideas found in this book. “Acknowledge intent while addressing impact” and “Take breaks for self-care,” just to share a couple in the guideline for radical self-love communication.
Sonya truly gets it. She has experienced her quota of self-hate and has witnessed it a lot more in other people. I constantly have to recognize my self-hate when it occurs and have to redirect my thoughts toward self-love. I recommend this book to all people. Since the whole world has received influence from the Western world including its body-shaming culture and body hierarchy, everyone will benefit from understanding how it works in ourselves and in our culture.
Review by Linda (she/they) in March 2023
Twitter @KoreanLindaPark
Essay writer at DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Podcaster at AmericanKsisters.com
When I thought of my body in connection to my mother’s and my deceased maternal grandmother’s, I immediately thought of Sonya’s book. I thought it was time for me to go beyond checking her IG posts and read her book in its full form.
This book makes a stark contrast to the other book I have been reading: My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem. They both talk about healing through our bodies, but how they approach the topic were different. Sonya truly understands the intersectionality of body terrorism in regard to all shapes of identities. She tries to cover all marginalized groups in the United States and dedicates the last chapter in sharing strategies to fight against the specific oppression for each group. On page 91, Sonya informs her readers of the US governments’ killing of Jewish refugees during the World War II as well as the Asian immigrants’ suffering due to the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. Meanwhile, as an Asian American, I constantly felt erased in Resmaa's book. He made it seem like racially-traumatizing interactions only take place among three groups of people in the US: Black, White, and Blue (police force). Or at least, they took the center stage.
What both authors agree on is that healing begins within ourselves. Sonya quotes Lilla Watson, an Aboriginal Australian artist and activist, “If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” Because body terrorism resides in all bodies, we need to start with our own internalized body terrorism. (p.89)
Sonya adds further that internal transformation is only the beginning, quoting civil and labor rights activist Grace Lee Boggs. We should not stop at rebellion by expressing our emotions toward the oppressors. We need to go beyond rebellion toward revolution. If we do not confront the oppressive ideas in ourselves, when we achieve power, we will continue the oppressing acts of our predecessors. (p. 89)
There are more exquisite ideas found in this book. “Acknowledge intent while addressing impact” and “Take breaks for self-care,” just to share a couple in the guideline for radical self-love communication.
Sonya truly gets it. She has experienced her quota of self-hate and has witnessed it a lot more in other people. I constantly have to recognize my self-hate when it occurs and have to redirect my thoughts toward self-love. I recommend this book to all people. Since the whole world has received influence from the Western world including its body-shaming culture and body hierarchy, everyone will benefit from understanding how it works in ourselves and in our culture.
Review by Linda (she/they) in March 2023
Twitter @KoreanLindaPark
Essay writer at DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Podcaster at AmericanKsisters.com