![]() ![]() ![]() Cottom’s discussion refreshes the idea that Black women have been continuously excluded from public spheres of discussion because we are rarely seen as experts on anything. “Thick” then begins to examine the struggles facing Black women writers. Cottom delivers this so eloquently that I knew this was a book I would finish. ![]() It’s a hard thing to articulate, the feeling of never really fitting in, even when, by all appearances, some Black women appear to fit in just fine. ![]() The way she describes this feeling of thickness, a clever metaphor for a world where Black women are meant to occupy as little space as possible, was one I immediately resonated with. “Thick,” the opening essay, draws the reader in with Cottom’s lived experience of feeling too Black, too big, too full of personality, and too thick for the world around her. THICK: and Other Essays is not a light read, but it isn’t academically dense either the eight essays featured are written in such a way that eases the reader into each piece, then lightly begins the process of deeper examination and reflection. Tressie McMillan Cottom’s second book is an intricate collection of raw experiences, thought-provoking questions and intellectual discussions on subjects that revolve around one central theme, Black womanhood. I came across THICK: and Other Essays when I discovered a shortlist on the New York Times entitled, “Five Essay Collections by Women of Color.” Naturally, my interest was immediately piqued. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |