A review by xangemtheelibrarian
All About Love: New Visions by bell hooks

inspiring reflective

2.5

I don't think I've ever read a book that discussed love as a theory before. And while some of Hooks' ideas struck me as a bit odd, there were also pieces of information within that I really liked. For instance, I found that differentiating real parental love from affectionate parental moments is something that should happen more often. As the author stated herself, many grown up children don't consider their abusive parents abusive, or end up feeling guilty over even questioning whether or not their parents were abusive because they remember moments of affection. But Hooks explains how you can show affection without actually loving someone. 

Then there are other ideas that I didn't enjoy so much: like the religious love theories. I found them a bit uncomfortable and just not meant for me. I'm sure there are others who would probably resonate with Hooks' theories on love in religion, but it wasn't for me. Once the audiobook started hitting those religious tones, it sort of became background noise for me, and I wasn't quite paying attention to it probably as much as I should have. At some point, I remember hearing the word "angel" over and over again, and something about Jacob from the Bible not being able to fully love until he grew up enough to detach from his mother. Just... odd.