A review by openmypages
Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify: Essays by Carolyn Holbrook

3.0

Carolyn's tale is an inspiring one but one that underlines the uphill battle people of color need to fight each and every day to get ahead, be heard and find peace and happiness in this world. She begins by describing her childhood which was marred by divorce and an entanglement as a teenager that left her pregnant and in juvenile detention. Not the most auspicious start! But Carolyn pulls herself up by her bootstraps and starts her own secretarial business which leads to teaching and writing which leads to awards and ultimately lives made better by her good influence. She talks a lot about her drive to get off foodstamps and out of poverty and just how hard it truly was even though she was working unbelievably hard. There are several hard sections that detail domestic abuse for both her and her daughter.

Memoirs are always hard to rate as there is a fine line between constructive criticism and judging how a person chooses to tell their story. The content within this story is nothing if not motivating for all who read it. It is also enlightening about the challenges BIPOC people face even when they are working their hardest for the same education and job opportunities as white people. I think that essays didn't quite flow in a way that was intuitive to me but that just may be my preference since I don't read essays compilations a lot.

Thanks to Netgalley and University of Minnesota Press for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.