A review by heidi_
See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love by Valarie Kaur
5.0
Breathtakingly beautiful message. Valarie's lifetime of loving others through word and deed, even in the midst of righteous anger and deep hate, answered questions I had yet to articulate. Idealists, rejoice! This memoir refreshes, inspires and provides a path forward.
I most appreciated how she seamlessly blends the personal, the political and the spiritual under one aspirational life orientation: the practice of revolutionary love. She calls on us all to wonder, to grieve, to fight, to rage, to listen, to reimagine, to breathe, to push, and to transition for a more humane world. Within these chapters, she weaves her own narrative with lessons on activism and collective liberation, healing from trauma, reimagining power structures and taking the necessary time to care for ourselves within community.
"Joy returns us to everything good and beautiful and worth fighting for. It gives us energy for the long labor. Letting in joy, therefore, is the tenth practice of revolutionary love, the core practice that sustains all others. Joy is the gift of love: It makes the labor an end in itself."
Through her stories, we are given a comprehensive guidebook for embracing the frequently painful, yet deeply meaningful labor of love, as it manifests in all spheres of life. No stone is left unturned in her quest to show care and concern for the earth and its inhabitants.
Words cannot express my admiration for this woman and her life of service. May we all follow in her footsteps to challenge oppressive systems, redesign in ways that promote human flourishing, and savor the moments between. Thank you, Valarie.
"If you choose to see no stranger, then you must love people, even when they do not love you. You must wonder about them even when they refuse to wonder about you. You must even protect them when they are in harm's way... you must keep the borders of your heart porous in order to love well."
I most appreciated how she seamlessly blends the personal, the political and the spiritual under one aspirational life orientation: the practice of revolutionary love. She calls on us all to wonder, to grieve, to fight, to rage, to listen, to reimagine, to breathe, to push, and to transition for a more humane world. Within these chapters, she weaves her own narrative with lessons on activism and collective liberation, healing from trauma, reimagining power structures and taking the necessary time to care for ourselves within community.
"Joy returns us to everything good and beautiful and worth fighting for. It gives us energy for the long labor. Letting in joy, therefore, is the tenth practice of revolutionary love, the core practice that sustains all others. Joy is the gift of love: It makes the labor an end in itself."
Through her stories, we are given a comprehensive guidebook for embracing the frequently painful, yet deeply meaningful labor of love, as it manifests in all spheres of life. No stone is left unturned in her quest to show care and concern for the earth and its inhabitants.
Words cannot express my admiration for this woman and her life of service. May we all follow in her footsteps to challenge oppressive systems, redesign in ways that promote human flourishing, and savor the moments between. Thank you, Valarie.
"If you choose to see no stranger, then you must love people, even when they do not love you. You must wonder about them even when they refuse to wonder about you. You must even protect them when they are in harm's way... you must keep the borders of your heart porous in order to love well."