A review by lunabbly
The Black Woman: An Anthology by

5.0

Excellent anthology. Highly recommend folks to read. Many of the essays, written in the late 60s, are still relevant.

It's also my first time reading Toni Cade Bambara, and I love the rhythm to her writing. I think it's excellent, tough, and explicit. It's almost like watching a 1920s detective movie dialogue scene -- it's rapid, comes at you quickly and before you can fully react, you've digested more than you'll ever be able to comprehend. It'll leave you chewing for days.

I loved the intergenerational share of stories. None of the essays sought to help you better humanize Black women either -- they didn't ask for empathy, didn't ask for you to understand. They wrote as they were. There wasn't a "here let me help you understand" piece in here, which I appreciated and I think we need more pieces like this out there in the world -- more unapologetic pieces about being and existing.

Folks should definitely read. As a non-Black nonbinary person of color, I learned so much. You want to be a good "ally" or "accomplice"? Read this anthology.