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Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot Paperback – February 23, 2021
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“The fights against hunger, homelessness, poverty, health disparities, poor schools, homophobia, transphobia, and domestic violence are feminist fights. Kendall offers a feminism rooted in the livelihood of everyday women.”—Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist, in The Atlantic
“One of the most important books of the current moment.”—Time
“A rousing call to action... It should be required reading for everyone.”—Gabrielle Union, author of We’re Going to Need More Wine
A potent and electrifying critique of today’s feminist movement announcing a fresh new voice in black feminism
Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?
In her searing collection of essays, Mikki Kendall takes aim at the legitimacy of the modern feminist movement, arguing that it has chronically failed to address the needs of all but a few women. Drawing on her own experiences with hunger, violence, and hypersexualization, along with incisive commentary on reproductive rights, politics, pop culture, the stigma of mental health, and more, Hood Feminism delivers an irrefutable indictment of a movement in flux. An unforgettable debut, Kendall has written a ferocious clarion call to all would-be feminists to live out the true mandate of the movement in thought and in deed.
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherPenguin Books
- Publication dateFebruary 23, 2021
- Dimensions5.1 x 0.7 x 7.7 inches
- ISBN-100525560564
- ISBN-13978-0525560562
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020
“In prose that is clean, crisp, and cutting, Kendall reveals how feminism has both failed to take into account populations too often excluded from the banner of feminism and failed to consider the breadth of issues affecting the daily lives of millions of women. . . . Throughout, Kendall thoughtfully and deliberately takes mainstream feminism to task . . . [but] if Hood Feminism is a searing indictment of mainstream feminism, it is also an invitation. For every case in which Kendall highlights problematic practices, she offers guidance for how we can all do better.”
—NPR
“With poise and clarity, Kendall lays out the case for why feminists need to fight not just for career advancement but also for basic needs and issues that often plague women of color, including food security, educational access, a living wage and safety from gun violence. In expertly tying the racial justice and feminist movements together, Kendall’s is one of the most important books of the current moment.”
—Time, “100 Must-Read Books of 2020”
“Hood Feminism paints a brutally candid and unobstructed portrait of mainstream white feminism: a narrow movement that disregards the needs of the overwhelming majority of women. In the storied tradition of Black feminism stretching back to Maria Stewart, Kendall persuasively contends that women’s basic needs are feminist issues. The fights against hunger, homelessness, poverty, health disparities, poor schools, homophobia, transphobia, and domestic violence are feminist fights. Kendall offers a feminism rooted in the livelihood of everyday women.”
—Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times-bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist, in The Atlantic
“Beautifully centers on the experience of women who face an actual battle on the front lines while mainstream feminists clamor for access to the officers’ club.”
—The Washington Post
“A searing indictment of . . . the modern feminist movement’s failure to support marginalized women and to integrate issues of race, class and sexual orientation.”
—USA Today
“This book is an act of fierce love and advocacy, and it is urgently necessary.”
—Samantha Irby, author of Meaty and We Are Never Meeting in Real Life
“Mikki’s book is a rousing call to action for today’s feminists. It should be required reading for everyone.”
—Gabrielle Union, author of We’re Going to Need More Wine
“Cutting, critical, and consequential, Hood Feminism is required reading for anyone who calls himself or herself a feminist, an urgent piece of feminist discourse. It's a tough read—especially if you've been giving yourself woke feminist gold stars—but that makes it all the more necessary.”
—Marie Claire
“My wish is that every white woman who calls herself a feminist (as I do) will read this book in a state of hushed and humble respect. Mikki Kendall is calling out white feminists here—and it’s long overdue that we drop our defenses, listen to her arguments carefully, and then change our entire way of thinking and behaving. As Kendall explains in eloquent and searing simplicity, any feminism that focuses on inequality between men and women without addressing the inequalities BETWEEN women is not only useless, but actually harmful. In the growing public conversation about race, class, status, privilege, and power, this text is essential reading.”
—Elizabeth Gilbert
“Elicits action by effectively calling out privilege . . . This can be a tough read, even for the most woke and intersectional feminist, and that’s exactly how it should be.”
—Bust
“Hood Feminism is a critical feminist text that interrogates the failings of the mainstream feminist movement and gives us the necessary expertise of Black women. Kendall skillfully illuminates the many intersections of identity and shows us the beauty and power of anger.”
—Erika L. Sánchez, author of Lessons on Expulsion and I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter
“Kendall is a highly knowledgeable and inspiring guide, and she effectively builds on the work of black women who have, for ages, been working to better the lives of themselves and their communities. . . . A much-needed addition to feminist discourse.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“In this forceful and eloquent series of essays, [Kendall] takes on the feminist myopia that ignores the daily existential struggles of women of color and encourages a broader support of society’s most vulnerable citizens. If such support is forthcoming and awareness expanded, then not only will those outside the feminist establishment be empowered, those within the current movement will also be enlightened as to their cause’s true universal potential.”
—Booklist
“A frank account of who and what is still missing from mainstream feminism that will appeal to readers of women’s and African American studies, and readers seeking a better grasp on history.”
—Library Journal
“An energizing critique of the feminist movement’s preference for white women.”
—BookPage
“Mikki Kendall tells it like it is, and this is why she has long been a must-read writer for me: incisive, clear-eyed, and rightly willing to challenge readers when necessary. Her exploration of how feminists’ fight for liberation has too often left poor people, Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color behind is critical reading for anyone who is or wants to be involved in work addressing complex and longstanding inequalities.”
—Nicole Chung, author of All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir
“Mikki has been writing for years about protection, ‘problem children,’ the limits and the usefulness of different kinds of anger, and the way sisterhood can be wielded as a demand. She’s here for her community, and this book has everything to do with expanding access to it.”
—Daniel Mallory Ortberg, author of The Merry Spinster and Texts from Jane Eyre
“Mikki Kendall has established herself as an important voice in current feminist discourse, and Hood Feminism cements that place. With a compelling, forceful piece, Kendall has written the missive that feminists—especially white feminists—need to remember the racist history of who we are as a movement and to move forward with an intersectional and deliberately anti-racist focus.”
—Dianna Anderson, author of Problematic
“Every white lady should have this book assigned to them before they can talk about feminism in the same way that every human should have to work in the service industry for a year before they can talk about the economy. Ain’t nothing but truth in these words.”
—Linda Tirado, author of Hand to Mouth: Living in Bootstrap America
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
As debates over last names, body hair, and the best way to be a CEO have taken center stage in the discourse surrounding modern feminism, it's not difficult to see why some would be questioning the legitimacy of a women's movement that serves only the narrow interests of middle- and upper-class white women. While the problems facing marginalized women have only increased in intensity, somehow food insecurity, education, and health care-beyond the most basic of reproductive needs-are rarely touted as feminist issues. It is past time to make the conversation a nuanced, inclusive, and intersectional one that reflects the concerns of all women, not just a privileged few.
In 2013, when I started #solidarityisforwhitewomen, by which I meant mainstream feminist calls for solidarity centered on not only the concerns but the comfort of white middle-class women at the expense of other women, many white feminists claimed it was divisive and called it infighting, instead of recognizing that the problem was real and could not solve itself. They argued that the way to fix feminism wasn't by airing its proverbial dirty laundry in public. Yet, since its inception, mainstream feminism has been insisting that some women have to wait longer for equality, that once one group (usually white women) achieves equality then that opens the way for all other women. But when it comes right down to it, mainstream white feminism often fails to show up for women of color. While white feminism can lean in, can prioritize the CEO level at work, it fails to show up when Black women are not being hired because of their names or fired for hairstyles. It's silent when schools discriminate against girls of color. Whether it is the centering of white women even when women of color are most likely to be at risk, or the complete erasure of issues most likely to impact those who are not white, white feminism tends to forget that a movement that claims to be for all women has to engage with the obstacles women who are not white face.
Trans women are often derided or erased, while prominent feminist voices parrot the words of conservative bigots, framing womanhood as biological and determined at birth instead of as a fluid and often arbitrary social construct. Trans women of color, who are among the most likely targets of violence, see statistics that reflect their reality co-opted to bolster the idea that all women are facing the same level of danger. Yet support from mainstream white feminists for the issues that directly impact trans women has been at best minimal, and often nonexistent. From things as basic as access to public bathrooms to job protection, there's a dearth of mainstream white feminist voices speaking out against trans-exclusionary policies and laws. A one-size-fits-all approach to feminism is damaging, because it alienates the very people it is supposed to serve, without ever managing to support them. For women of color, the expectation that we prioritize gender over race, that we treat the patriarchy as something that gives all men the same power, leaves many of us feeling isolated.
When the obstacles you face vary by race and class, then so too do your priorities. After all, for women who are struggling to keep themselves housed, fed, and clothed, it's not a question of working hard enough. They are leaning in, but not in search of equal pay or "having it all"; their quest for equal pay starts with equal access to education and opportunity. They need feminism to recognize that everything that affects women is a feminist issue, whether it be food insecurity or access to transit, schools, or a living wage. Does that mean that every feminist has to be at every event, know every detail of every struggle? No.
It does, however, mean that the language surrounding whatever issues feminists choose to focus on should reflect an understanding of how the issue's impact varies for women in different socioeconomic positions. The conversation around work, for instance, should recognize that for many people, needing to work to survive is a fact of life. We can't let respectability politics (that is, an attempt by marginalized groups to internally police members so that they fall in line with the dominant culture's norms) create an idea that only some women are worthy of respect or protection. Respectability narratives discourage us from addressing the needs of sex workers, incarcerated women, or anyone else who has had to face hard life choices. No woman has to be respectable to be valuable. We can't demand that people work in order to live, then demand that they respected only be if they do work that doesn't challenge outdated ideas around women's right to control their bodies. Too often mainstream feminism embraces an idea that women must follow a work path prescribed by cisgender white men in order for their labor to matter. But everyone, from a person who needs care to a stay-at-home parent to a sex worker, matters and deserves to be respected whether they are in their home or in an office.
This tendency to assume that all women are experiencing the same struggles has led us to a place where reproductive health imagery centers on cisgender able-bodied women to the exclusion of those who are trans, intersex, or otherwise inhabiting bodies that don't fit the narrow idea that genitalia dictates gender. You can have no uterus and still be a woman, after all. Employment equality statistics project the idea that all women make seventy-seven cents to a man's dollar when the reality is that white women make that much, and women of color make less than white women. Affirmative action complaints (including those filed by white women) hinge on the idea that people of color are getting the most benefit when the reality is that white women benefit the most from affirmative action policies. The sad reality is that while white women are an oppressed group, they still wield more power than any other group of women-including the power to oppress both men and women of color.
The myth of the Strong Black Woman has made it so that white women can tell themselves that it is okay to expect us to wait to be equal with them, because they need it more. The fact that Black women are supposedly tougher than white women means that we are built to face abuse and ignorance, and that our need for care or concern is less pressing.
In general, white women are taught to think of whiteness as default, of race as something to ignore. Their failure to appreciate the way that race and other marginalization can impact someone is often borne out in popular media. Consider the ham-fisted misstep of Lena Dunham's HBO show Girls, which featured an all-white cast of twentysomething women and men living in Brooklyn, New York, being heralded as a show for all young women despite its complete exclusion of women of color. Or, more recently, Dunham and Amy Schumer's cringe-inducing conversation about whether Odell Beckham Jr. was in the wrong for not expressing any interest, sexual or otherwise, in Dunham while they were seated at the same table at the Met Gala.
Somehow the fact that Beckham was absorbed in his phone meant that he was passing judgment on Dunham's attractiveness, and not that his mind was simply elsewhere. Despite the fact that he never said a negative word, he was dragged into their personal narrative in part because of the unspoken assumption that he owed a white woman who wanted it his attention. Now, I don't expect Dunham or Schumer or feminists like them to listen to Black women or other WOC. It's not an innate skill for white people, and for white feminists who are used to shutting out the voices of men, it can be especially difficult to hear that they have the power to oppress a man. But that doesn't change the history of Black men being demonized or killed for expressing an interest in white women. Nor does it change the negative impact that a white woman's tears can still have not only on a Black man's career, but on his life. The fact that Dunham apologized and that she didn't mean to do harm is pretty much meaningless. The harm was done, and her casual racist assumptions still meant Beckham spent days in the news cycle for imaginary body shaming.
When white feminism ignores history, ignores that the tears of white women have the power to get Black people killed while insisting that all women are on the same side, it doesn't solve anything. Look at Carolyn Bryant, who lied about Emmett Till whistling at her in 1955. Despite knowing who had killed him, and that he was innocent of even the casual disrespect she had claimed, she carried on with the lie for another fifty years after his lynching and death. Though her family says she regretted it for the rest of her life, she still sat on the truth for decades and helped his murderers walk free. How does feminism reconcile itself to that kind of wound between groups without addressing the racism that caused it?
There's nothing feminist about having so many resources at your fingertips and choosing to be ignorant. Nothing empowering or enlightening in deciding that intent trumps impact. Especially when the consequences aren't going to be experienced by you, but will instead be experienced by someone from a marginalized community.
It's not at all helpful for some white feminists to make demands of women of color out of a one-sided idea of sisterhood and call that solidarity. Sisterhood is a mutual relationship between equals. And as anyone with sisters can tell you, it's not uncommon for sisters to fight or to hurt each other's feelings. Family (whether biological or not) is supposed to support you. But that doesn't mean no one can ever tell you that you're wrong. Or that any form of critique is an attack. And yes, sometimes the words involved are harsh. But as adults, as people who are doing hard work, you cannot expect your feelings to be the center of someone else's struggle. In fact, the most realistic approach to solidarity is one that assumes that sometimes it simply isn't your turn to be the focus of the conversation.
When feminist rhetoric is rooted in biases like racism, ableism, transmisogyny, anti-Semitism, and Islamophobia, it automatically works against marginalized women and against any concept of solidarity. It's not enough to know that other women with different experiences exist; you must also understand that they have their own feminism formed by that experience. Whether it's an argument that women who wear the hijab must be "saved" from it, or reproductive-justice arguments that paint having a disabled baby as the worst possible outcome, the reality is that feminism can be marginalizing. If a liberation movement's own representatives are engaging with each other oppressively, then what progress can the movement make without fixing that internal problem?
Feminism cannot be about pitying women who didn't have access to the right schools or the same opportunities, or making them projects to be studied, or requiring them to be more respectable in order for them to be full participants in the movement. Respectability has not saved women of color from racism; it won't save any woman from sexism or outright misogyny. Yet mainstream white feminists ignore their own harmful behavior in favor of focusing on an external enemy. However, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" only works as clichd shorthand; in reality the enemy of my enemy may be my enemy as well. Being caught between groups that hate you for different aspects of your identity means none of you are safe.
So how do we address that much more complex reality without getting bogged down? Well, for starters, feminists of all backgrounds have to address would-be allies about the things that we want. And when we act as allies, feminists have to be willing to listen to and respect those we want to help. When building solidarity, there is no room for savior myths. Solidarity is not for everyone-it cannot realistically include everyone-so perhaps the answer is to establish common goals and work in partnerships. As equal partners, there is room for negotiation, compromise, and sometimes even genuine friendship. Building those connections takes time, effort, and a willingness to accept that some places are not for you.
Although the hashtag #solidarityisforwhitewomen rose out of a particular problem within the online feminist community at that moment, it addresses the much larger problem of what it means to stand in solidarity as a movement meant to encompass all women when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others. It's rhetorical shorthand for the reality that white women can oppress women of color, straight women can oppress lesbian women, cis women can oppress trans women, and so on. And those identities are not discrete; they often can and do overlap. So too do the ways in which women can help or harm each other under the guise of feminism.
There is a tendency to debate who is a "real" feminist based on political leanings, background, actions, or even the kinds of media created and consumed. It's the kind of debate that blasts Beyonc and Nicki Minaj for their attire and stage shows not being feminist enough, while celebrating Katy Perry for being empowering-via the fetishization and appropriation of cultures and bodies of color. Real feminism (if such a thing can be defined) isn't going to be found in replicating racist, transphobic, homophobic, ableist, or classist norms. But we are all human, all flawed in our ways, and perhaps most important, none of us are immune to the environment that surrounds us. We are part of the society that we are fighting to change, and we cannot absolve ourselves of our role in it.
Liberation rhetoric cannot be lubrication for the advancement of one group of women at the expense of others. White privilege knows no gender. And while it makes no promises of a perfect life free from any hard work or strife, it does makes some things easier in a society where race has always mattered. The anger now bubbling up in hashtags, blog posts, and meetings is shorthand for women of color declaring to white women, "I'm not here to clean up your mess, carry your spear, hold your hand, or cheer you on while I suffer in silence. I'm not here to raise your children, assuage your guilt, build your platforms, or fight your battles. I'm here for my community because no one else will stand up for us but us."
And if white women's response to that is, as it has been, more whining about how we're not making activism easier for them? We don't care. We're not going to care. We can't afford to, because while Patricia Arquette was being lauded for a speech on equal pay that she delivered at the 2015 Academy Awards, one that called for "all the gay people and people of color that we've all fought for" to "fight for us now," untold numbers of women of color were and are still fighting to get paid at all. That demand for solidarity, beyond being utterly tone-deaf, was more of the same one-way expectation.
Product details
- Publisher : Penguin Books (February 23, 2021)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0525560564
- ISBN-13 : 978-0525560562
- Item Weight : 7.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.1 x 0.7 x 7.7 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Feminist Theory (Books)
- #5 in Discrimination & Racism
- #11 in Sociology Reference
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About the author
Mikki Kendall lives and works in Chicago where she wields words and raises a family. She has a couple of degrees, a couple of kids, and one patient husbeast. A graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and DePaul, Mikki Kendall has been blogging since 2003 under the pen name Karnythia. She has discussed topics ranging from Chicago violence to police brutality, from parenting to racial representation in media, from reproductive health to food insecurity. She has also covered abortion, education, and politics.
In August of 2013, Mikki started the hashtag #solidarityisforwhitewomen. It sparked a global conversation about racism, solidarity, representation, and access to resources in feminist circles. Her other hashtags (including #fasttailedgirls, #NotJustHello, #AbuserDynamics, #MillenialMammy, #NotYourMandingo, and others designed to make room for hard conversations about feminist issues) have also gone viral. She has written for NBC Think, Washington Post, The Guardian, Ebony, Essence, Publishers Weekly, Global Comment, Salon, xoJane, The Toast, and other online and print markets. She has also been published in several anthologies, both fiction and nonfiction. Her professional comics work includes Swords of Sorrow with Dynamite Comics, and Action Lab’s Princeless Charity Series.
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Customers find the book easy to read and informative. They appreciate the eloquent writing style and clear explanations of complex topics. The book provides powerful insights into intersectional feminism and racism. Readers describe the writing as honest and unapologetic, not shying away from hard truths that need to be spoken. The book is described as eye-opening and a must-read for anyone interested in feminism.
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Customers find the book easy to read and informative. They appreciate the good graphics and consider it a must-read for everyone. Readers also mention that the book is eye-opening and helpful.
"I believe this is a book that everyone should read, especially women. Mikki Kendall presents a clear picture of the challenges within feminism...." Read more
"This one should be required reading for everyone, especially if you consider yourself an ally!..." Read more
"This book is the most annotated book I have in my library. I know already I’ll be going back to it to reread passages...." Read more
"...Still well worth reading and a good first exposure to those still in the privilege bubble...." Read more
Customers find the book informative and thought-provoking. They say it covers some difficult topics that are necessary. The content is relatable and current, with compelling arguments and well-researched content.
"...Ms Kendall offers an in-depth looks at ALL the intersectional issues that feminism should be focusing on, through the lens of those who are most..." Read more
"...This book talks about gun violence, homelessness, education, food insecurity and more topics that we think of as general issues...but they still..." Read more
"...It was very thought provoking. I teach feminism views and realized after reading this what a biased model I was teaching...." Read more
"...and after listening there were key points made that explained things perfectly. I ended up purchasing a physical copy so I could highlight and write." Read more
Customers find the writing style eloquent and informative. They describe it as concise, clear, and easy to understand. The language is casual and well-organized, with thoughtful insights provided in each chapter.
"...Her writing style is straightforward and unapologetic...." Read more
"...I loved the way Kendall explained things in a concise and clear way, blunt but not unkind. I learned so much reading this one...." Read more
"...It's written as a series of essays, but some of the points and examples get lost in the mix...." Read more
"...I included it on a reading list because it is so easy to understand with concrete current and real life examples throughout." Read more
Customers find the book insightful and a must-read for feminists of all races. They say it provides powerful insights into intersectional feminism and could provide a paradigm shift for white feminists who may have glossed over certain issues. The book gives a voice to women of color and marginalized communities.
"...Mikki Kendall presents a clear picture of the challenges within feminism. Her writing style is straightforward and unapologetic...." Read more
"...It explores feminism and racism in a way that is illuminating to how feminism is not just a word… but a result of a larger system of oppression that..." Read more
"Love to read her views on traditional feminism...." Read more
"...Just will say that I highly recommend it to all women, especially those that consider themselves a good ally or progressive like I did...." Read more
Customers appreciate the book's honesty. They find it unapologetic and don't shy away from hard truths that need to be said. The collection of essays is described as an informal and passionate read.
"...Her writing style is straightforward and unapologetic...." Read more
"This book is an honest and real voice to a group that has been silenced throughout history...." Read more
"Beautiful & Unapologeticly Honest! Reading with my book club & loving it 💕🤞🏾..." Read more
"...personal, and forward-thinking collection of essays that do not shy away from hard truths that need to be spoken...." Read more
Customers find the book eye-opening. They appreciate the vivid colors on the cover, high-quality printing, and honest writing. The book is full of interesting ideas and nuanced perspectives, with good graphics. It gives readers the confidence to embrace their identities as Black people and people of color.
"...It was incredibly eye opening to continue to see all the ways the world caters to the cis/het white male community, and anything other than that is..." Read more
"Beautiful & Unapologeticly Honest! Reading with my book club & loving it 💕🤞🏾..." Read more
"...It affirms our experiences as Black people and people of color, gives us the confidence to embrace anger, and broadens the conversation on white..." Read more
"Not really much content at all, but good graphics" Read more
Customers find the book's pacing good. They say it tackles tough issues in an honest way. The author backs up everything she says with research.
"...of Fierce, Missing and Murdered, and Allies, Anger, and Accomplices all hit hard for me...." Read more
"This is a fantastic book. Mikki is fierce; the things she is conveying are aggressive and confrontational...." Read more
"This writer is absolutely amazing. She pulls no punches and backs up everything she says with research and examples...." Read more
"This book is excellent. It tackles tough in issues in a well written and honest way. I learned so much. A must read." Read more
Customers find the content lacking. They find it depressing and overwhelming, with redundant information for those already knowledgeable about the subject.
"...This book was hard primarily because it can be depressing to read, it can be overwhelming due to feeling a lack of power to fix these issues,..." Read more
"Not really much content at all, but good graphics" Read more
"...It’s a little redundant and obvious for those who are well versed in it. -Dionna" Read more
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Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2024I believe this is a book that everyone should read, especially women. Mikki Kendall presents a clear picture of the challenges within feminism. Her writing style is straightforward and unapologetic. She addresses a range of issues that women face, from food security to access to equal healthcare. Kendall emphasizes that being an ally is not just about speaking supportively but also about demonstrating that support through actions. Although the book is heavy and thought-provoking, it is crucial to engage with its content, especially given the pressing issues we currently face, with few solutions on the horizon. Written in 2020, the book resonates with the themes discussed during the recent election, evoking a sense of déjà vu about the political landscape. This book would also make an excellent addition to a women's studies course.
- Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2024This book is an honest and real voice to a group that has been silenced throughout history. It explores feminism and racism in a way that is illuminating to how feminism is not just a word… but a result of a larger system of oppression that must be addressed in order to move forward. I HIGHLY recommend this book to any White Woman who claims the term “Feminist”… it’s a perspective that we all need to be exposed to. It’s not enough to live blindly in our “privileged,” but we must understand the multi-faceted world that we have been indoctrinated into.
It’s an “easy read,” in terms of language and style, BUT it meant to be “uncomfortable” because reality is not “comfortable.” I applauded Mikki Kendall for lending her voice to every woman, while also not shying away from hard truths!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2022MOVE OVER, ROBIN DIANGELO! If you're looking to find a deeper connection in your antiracist (feminist) journey, then HOOD FEMINISM IS THE BOOK. Ms Kendall offers an in-depth looks at ALL the intersectional issues that feminism should be focusing on, through the lens of those who are most impacted by a lack of support. Reading this book will give you the impetus to start actively moving forward towards a more inclusive form of feminism.
EVERYONE SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. It is educational, insightful, and inspiring. Ms Kendall offers up vulnerable examples from her own life that highlight what she's speaking on, as well as giving practical info and examples of what this more inclusive feminism should look like. Plus, Ms Kendall doesn't hold back. She gets in your face with the facts because these issues are incredibly important but are still being overlooked. And we can't make progress until we help the least fortunate among us.
Feminists, and especially us white ones, must move from performative allyship to being accomplices who actively divest from white supremacy. WE MUST LISTEN TO AND LEARN FROM the "Marginalized communities [that] have already developed strategies and solutions as they do their own internal work. Now mainstream feminism has to step up, has to get itself to a place where it spends more time offering resources and less time demanding validation."
I will definitely need to reread this several times though as there is so much good information here that it's hard to absorb it all in just one read. I had so many highlights!
- Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2024This one should be required reading for everyone, especially if you consider yourself an ally!
While mainstream media rarely talks about women being able to meet basic needs, Kendall breaks down intersectionality surrounding many topics within the feminist movement.
Read if you love...
- non-fiction
- learning
- women's rights
I could not put this one down!
I loved the way Kendall explained things in a concise and clear way, blunt but not unkind.
I learned so much reading this one. There was so much that I hadn't considered or knew very little about. Topics from gun violence to the housing crisis to hunger to mental health to poverty and more. And how within all of these, Black women are at the bottom of the "food chain" but expected to just deal with it because they're supposed to be strong.
It was incredibly eye opening to continue to see all the ways the world caters to the cis/het white male community, and anything other than that is seen as less than, moreso if you aren't white.
This book isn't supposed to be a feel good book. Kendall has no issue calling people out and speaking bluntly.
You absolutely need to read this one.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2021I love that even though I'm a prolific reader and I have recently gravitated toward articles about the black American experience, these ideas and arguments still took me by surprise. Hood Feminism talks about feminism in the biggest sense: Equality for everyone. But for black people in the 'hood,' a lot of problems take place that are much more essential than pay inequality or representation. This book talks about gun violence, homelessness, education, food insecurity and more topics that we think of as general issues...but they still disproportionately affect women. And that makes them feminist issues.
My one problem with this book is the lack of organization. It's written as a series of essays, but some of the points and examples get lost in the mix. I wish there were more sub-headings or maybe some key ideas pulled out after each chapter so you could reference it more easily. It's truly a great resource and Kendall's writing is moving and urgent. She not only points out what is happening, but also what solutions could be implemented to address them.
- Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2024Beautiful & Unapologeticly Honest! Reading with my book club & loving it 💕🤞🏾
- Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2024Love to read her views on traditional feminism. It really opened my eyes to the blind spots of traditional feminist writing, identification of problems etc. It was very thought provoking. I teach feminism views and realized after reading this what a biased model I was teaching. I included it on a reading list because it is so easy to understand with concrete current and real life examples throughout.
Top reviews from other countries
- Angela S.Reviewed in Canada on September 20, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars An important read for White Feminists™
I thought I had a decent understanding of intersectional feminism but this book challenged that assumption in the *introduction*. Everyone should read this!
- MikeReviewed in Sweden on September 26, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read
Passionate, lucid and unapologetic. Check it out!
- HadieReviewed in the Netherlands on October 16, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Enlightened
As a black woman, I’ve never felt so seen yet called out from a book before. It has enlightened me on how I too can sometimes further keep my fellow black women back by adhering to respectability politics and shined light and made room for the women who have never been thought of in feminist conversations.
- Rebekah R.Reviewed in Spain on August 31, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book - recommend
Very well written and important information from a different perspective than mine. I'm really enjoying the book and feel I am better for reading it.
- Fabian AkaezeReviewed in the United Kingdom on May 29, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for Caucasian
This is a phenomenal that gives voice to the voiceless. This book tells the story of women of color who have long being ignored by the establishment. We must understand that present day feminism is unequal and we can no longer pretend as if every woman is regarded and treated fairly.