Blurb:
"In this collection of essays, Kenya Hunt reflects on what it means to be a Black woman in our time. Part memoir, part celebration of womanhood and Blackness, Girl is about thriving when the odds are stacked against you.
Alongside Kenya's story, Candice Carty-Williams, Jessica Horn, Ebele Okobi, Funmi Fetto and Freddie Harrel add their voices."

This book was recommended by the Culture Book Club at my work.. I'm curious...

16-February 2022
This content and how it was written was far more to my taste than I've anticipated!
OK - there were about two items not totally so interesting and consuming me - but all the rest really got my full attention!
Also, it was a quite fast read and the entry with the son's feedback on his mom's "Girl" already hooked me.
Only after I've read the notes about woke, I actually noticed it also in my surrounding.
Definitely I will read more about Sally Hemings and indeed the part about motherhood naturally caught my attention and I noted also a book for my next reading list.
Okobi's story about loss affected me and it was hard to endure and got me upset and helpless. It's a rollercoaster of emotions - as was also the movie, I just watched then one of the last evenings: Queen and Slim.
Also upset got me reading about the Lord's House. I can't stand this bigotry.
On hair had lots of (new) views and aspects that inspired my thinking which made reading it very interesting for me.
Then finally the part about 'Queeny' (naturally on my booklist, too) also keeps my thoughts busy. Here more generally regarding the topic introversion the author describes. It seems very interesting how she sees and experiences it.
All in all, I believe, parts of this book will still keep my mind busy for a while and it was definitely a worth reading book and I am so glad I've read it.

Maybe there are more book crossers out there that could also benefit from "Girl" or at least simply would like to read?

Bookring Journey:
1 - penelopewanders - France
2 - iiwi - NL
3 - ratje-toe - NL
4 - mcsar - Canada
5 - Edwardstreet - New Zealand
and back to me

This was waiting for me with a few other books when I got back from a trip... I am a bit confused as to why it took so long to arrive - I was only away for two weeks, so it hasn't been here long. I'll try to get to it quickly but am in the middle of another (somewhat slow-going) book just now.
Thanks so much for sending and making this available.

This is here as a bookcrossing ring, and to be honest I wasn't entirely sure what it would be before it arrived, because I think I had only seen (or registered) the first part of the title. In fact, as explicitly stated in the title, this is a series of essays about womanhood, but most specifically black womanhood.
I'm very glad I did sign up, as I realize I am a bit disconnected from much of modern society, especially as concerns social media. This being said, the reflections on diversity and inclusion in the fashion world, business, media and society in general were not new to me, but it was good to hear these voices too.
In one of the essays there a point is raised about whether including some doesn't inevitably lead to the exclusion of others, and this resonated with me because at some point I did wonder if I was the intended audience for this book. As a non-black woman, I felt I was being allowed to peek at a beautiful, supportive, loving circle of strong women, but I was placed firmly outside this closed circle. I'm not really sure where I am going with this reflection, but I continue to mull over what it means to be an outsider... My entire adult life I have lived as an expat, so do have quite a bit of experience in this area, and not solely for reasons related to passports.
An intriguing book.

This thought-provoking bookring now leaves France and heads to the Netherlands. Thanks so much for making it available.

received

'I wore an Afro and discovered a new face [...] it all made sense now. I fell in love with my face'. (On hair)

Influencers, Twitter, Prada, fashion, the Ariana Grande concert, opening night of a movie with celebs, working in four or five different countries, this is a world so far beyond me, that I had a dificult time connecting to it in any form or way.

There are parts I liked. The beginning, about the coronacrisis. The chapter Motherhood, about the births of her children, her miscarriages and her abortion, which was a really touching story.
Kenya finds herself when she escaped the US and got a job in London. On the other hand Freddie Harrel found quiet in her blackness when she got in touch with other black people in America. Experiences can differ greatly from their own perspective.

I did get a part for myself from this book, from the essay Lost about the death of a brother, the writer says 'we were so proud of him for creating a good and kind life despite his struggles with mental health.' Something to write down for myself and remember.

received!

Really liked this book, I love essays, especially essays about social justice, anti-racism, anti-sexism etc. I'll return the book to iiwi soon, who will send it on its way to the next reader. Thank you for letting me participate!

Thanks for sending. I will get reading soon.

Great collection of essays. It will move soon. Thanks for sharing.