non-fiction, memoir, essays
Wow-
talk about a powerhouse! It's clear from the beginning of Thick that Tressie McMillan Cottom has some things to say, and oh
how she says them. Cottom is smart, witty, and knows her own voice and
most importantly is unafraid to speak her truth in these pages as she shares
her reality of living as a black woman in America today. Whether talking
about standards of beauty, class mobility, ethnic diversity within the
black community, and much more, Cottom's essays are a mixture of academic
education and memoir; through her view as a black woman and a
sociologist, she paints a very vivid picture.
In all honesty,
it's the academia that kept me from giving this book five stars- I will
follow a footnote down a rabbit hole and I found that whenever I did
that I was taken out of the story Cottom was trying to tell. I would
have rather just heard her voice without the supporting documentation
(though I'm sure those who are using her work for academic purposes are
very thankful for each and every reference!). Still, this is a book
filled with important truths and I hope more people will take the time
to read them. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
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