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Reviews tagging 'Racial slurs'
Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me by Aisha Harris
1 review
lilybearillini3's review
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an advanced readers' copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review. I received my ARC before the book was published but at the time of writing this review, it has been out for almost a month.
I enjoy a book of essays looking at pop culture. I think it's interesting to see what pieces of culture an author decides to talk about. This is the first work I've consumed by Aisha Harris, looking at other reviews, she's also a host of a pop culture podcast. Overall, I liked this collection, she shares her thoughts on pop culture and how it shapes the Black experience.
She saved her best essays for the second half of the book. "This is the IP That Never Ends," "Parents Just Don't Understand," and "Santa Claus is a Black Man" are standouts for me. The essays are an analysis of pieces of pop culture and how they have affected her life. Some essays lean into one or the other more heavily. For example, "Ebony & Ivory" feels more of an analysis. I think the book's flow would have worked better had the essays been organized in a way in which essays with more analysis were grouped together. It was sometimes jarring to go from a personal essay to an analysis where I felt like Harris wasn't "talking" to the reader anymore. I loved the comedic moments in the book just as much as a loved her analysis on pop culture.
She challenges your beliefs in the best way. "Blackety-Black" is an excellent essay that really made me stop and think. I'm coming into this book with an Asian American who was raised in America perspective. I read part of this chapter a few times to understand what she is trying to say. I've come to the conclusion that I agree with the majority of what she says (Though, I still like Lizzo and think she is opening doors to marginalized communities even if a lot of white people, and Asian Americans like me, like her). It's difficult to put into words but she manages to do it. I will keep this conversation going as I continue to think about pop culture and unlearn unconscious biases.
Definitely check out this book if you love pop culture, essays, and how pop culture affects us.
I enjoy a book of essays looking at pop culture. I think it's interesting to see what pieces of culture an author decides to talk about. This is the first work I've consumed by Aisha Harris, looking at other reviews, she's also a host of a pop culture podcast. Overall, I liked this collection, she shares her thoughts on pop culture and how it shapes the Black experience.
She saved her best essays for the second half of the book. "This is the IP That Never Ends," "Parents Just Don't Understand," and "Santa Claus is a Black Man" are standouts for me. The essays are an analysis of pieces of pop culture and how they have affected her life. Some essays lean into one or the other more heavily. For example, "Ebony & Ivory" feels more of an analysis. I think the book's flow would have worked better had the essays been organized in a way in which essays with more analysis were grouped together. It was sometimes jarring to go from a personal essay to an analysis where I felt like Harris wasn't "talking" to the reader anymore. I loved the comedic moments in the book just as much as a loved her analysis on pop culture.
She challenges your beliefs in the best way. "Blackety-Black" is an excellent essay that really made me stop and think. I'm coming into this book with an Asian American who was raised in America perspective. I read part of this chapter a few times to understand what she is trying to say. I've come to the conclusion that I agree with the majority of what she says (Though, I still like Lizzo and think she is opening doors to marginalized communities even if a lot of white people, and Asian Americans like me, like her). It's difficult to put into words but she manages to do it. I will keep this conversation going as I continue to think about pop culture and unlearn unconscious biases.
Definitely check out this book if you love pop culture, essays, and how pop culture affects us.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Racial slurs, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Police brutality
More...