This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope | 
pickShayla Lawson converse a wide variety of issues of equality. I found this thought-provoking and useful because it returned some issues to the forefront of my mind for continued consideration. I liked that she also includes poems in this work, though occasionally these breaks didn't work well for the audiobook. #SocialJustice #Equality
pickI love me a collection of #essays ♥️📖
This one did not disappoint! Most of the essays focus on race; the author‘s personal experiences are used to illustrate various topics. American Girl dolls, black girl magic, interracial relationships, etc. It felt rather like a memoir in essays. At times funny, but also enlightening. I listened to the #audiobook read by the author which always adds an extra little something to the experience.
pickThis collection was pretty good. Some essays were really excellent but a few fell flat for me. Shayla Lawson is a gifted writer, really current and has a strong voice and presence. Her last essay was 🔥🔥🔥🔥I‘m glad I picked up this collection from the Audible sale🎧 #ReadingNonfiction21 #SomethingYellowOrSunShiney but in truth, there‘s a lot of darkness 💔
Back to this essay collection, which started out strong but now I‘m not really enjoying or maybe relating to. I think having just LOVED Sigh, Gone Shayla Lawson‘s age and maturity is glaring. I‘ll be curious to hear your thoughts @Megabooks
I think you‘re gonna love this @Megabooks #AudibleSale #NonfictionChallenge21 #SomethingYellow #Booked21 #AntiRacism
pickTo be clear, there were parts of this book that I absolutely loved. That said, the book as a whole, for me, was uneven. It has poems, essays on artificial intelligence, American Girl dolls, pop culture, Nina Simone, Diana Ross, suicide rates for African Americans, living abroad, black girl magic, the Great Migration, etc... Interesting, important, probably more impactful for millennials. Worth a read.
pick𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗷𝗼𝗿: 𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗥𝗼𝘀𝘀, 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗹𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗼𝗽𝗲 is described as “a love letter to black women”. In a series of engaging essays,Shayla Lawson mixes personal stories about being a Black woman with pop culture references and Black history. This was my first essay collection that I‘ve read. I didn‘t feel like I was being lectured or like the essays‘ subject went over my head.
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As black girls, we‘ve been trained to believe that in order to consider ourselves unusual or individual we have to align ourselves with an existing white aesthetic. Often, young black girls looking for countercultural edge don‘t realize that much of what makes America “cool” has been ripped off from black girls, from the slang and swag stolen from our queer femme culture to the lip gloss and nail art pilfered from our chic urban hood.
We have always been cool. Everything we look to for inspiration, in every way America has learned to entertain and perform, black people - black women- have been the “alternative” at the center of it all.
I've been doing a fair amount of anti-racist reading lately and this HANDS DOWN is the best thing I've read so far. (And I'm not even done yet.) Her essays on Black Girl Magic, the N word, and racism in Portland, Oregon are brilliant! They weave together personal experience, history, and cultural critique in ways that elucidate, educate and provoke. Highly recommend!
