Reviews with content warning for Colonisation - Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches

Thought provoking and eye opening collection of essays/stories! I liked some chapters more than others, the ones I didn’t like mostly because they were difficult to understand at times language-wise and with concepts (such as the use of erotic chapter). There were times where no matter how often I reread the sentences, I couldn’t wrap my head around what was being said.

Most of the essays are from the 80s it seems but they’re still so relevant to today! I think this should be required reading in schools, especially in the US. I learned so much that I did not learn in school about US history and the government’s actions abroad. I marked a lot of pages and passages! I look forward to reading more from Lorde.

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introverted_reads's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

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rieviolet's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Like any kind of collection, there are always some parts that you like better than other ones but, overall, there is an awful lot to appreciate here and many interesting, challenging and complex reflections to ponder over.

There were a couple of chapters that I didn't much care about and, in places, were also a bit of a struggle to get through (for example "Notes from a Trip to Russia"; "An Interview: Audre Lorde and Adrienne Rich", which was way too long, too much focused on their personal relationship, and also I do not like Adrienne Rich).

I have to admit that some sections were a bit difficult to understand, but that has more to do with me lacking in similar personal experiences and knowledge, than to any fault of the author.

A lot of what Audre Lorde reflected on and wrote about back then still resonates deeply today. I think it will be worth it to read more from the author and then revisit these essays.

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shellroch285's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

I’m so glad I finally took the time to read this! Lorde’s emphasis on finding connections between each other in order to lift each other up and create community was beautiful, and I learned so much about how I need to change my perspective in terms of how we need to change in order to take care of local and national community in the US. This needs to be required reading for any other white person. Recognizing differences as well as seeing them as strengths rather than immediate arguments is also another key point. Her work is incredible <3

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notartgarfunkel's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5

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yaoipaddle's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

Very very very good. My copy is full of annotations for quotes I liked, inspiration I found, facts and stories I wanted to look up further, facts I wanted to pull for reference when speaking with others.

Definitely not a book to just read and put away without Audre's words tying themselves into your brain.

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