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alyssajp's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Racism, Violence, Blood, Islamophobia, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Pregnancy
beth_simmons's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
This book should be required reading at this moment in our society. Full of insight, hope, and honesty, Kaur's idea of revolutionary love and how we practice it is so engaging it needs more than one read-through. I led a discussion about it which was supposed to be a single one-hour session. Instead, we stretched it out over four sessions which all went well past the time allotted. It is just so full.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy
hollyd19's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
See No Stranger is a stunning memoir manifesto from activist Valerie Kaur. Chronicling her (very full) life up until now, Kaur shares about how her compassionate posture towards hate and despair are informed by her Sikh faith. Raised in California and largely radicalized by anti-Sikh hate crimes after 9/11, Kaur reflects on her own growth catalyzed by putting her body on the frontlines as an activist and storyteller.
Kaur is guided by the mantra: You are a part of me I do not yet know. She promotes wonder as a way through hate, going as far as to say “the failure to wonder is the beginning of violence.” She is admirably rooted in the teachings of her religion that emphasize caring robustly for humanity and intentionally positions its adherents as people who show up and help.
Something especially powerful about this particular memoir was the weaving of anecdotes with practices that Kaur has developed over the years through deep personal work both alone and with support of community. She humbly points out moments when she acted out of fear, rage, or hurt and described how she worked to uproot those tendencies. Kaur is most definitely someone I’d like to continue to learn from and think most everyone would benefit from reading her story.
Kaur is guided by the mantra: You are a part of me I do not yet know. She promotes wonder as a way through hate, going as far as to say “the failure to wonder is the beginning of violence.” She is admirably rooted in the teachings of her religion that emphasize caring robustly for humanity and intentionally positions its adherents as people who show up and help.
Something especially powerful about this particular memoir was the weaving of anecdotes with practices that Kaur has developed over the years through deep personal work both alone and with support of community. She humbly points out moments when she acted out of fear, rage, or hurt and described how she worked to uproot those tendencies. Kaur is most definitely someone I’d like to continue to learn from and think most everyone would benefit from reading her story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Racial slurs, and Police brutality
Moderate: Stalking