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A review by thelibraryoft
You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories by Gabrielle Union
3.5
3.5 stars
I liked her first memoir/ set of essays a bit better than this one. I enjoyed Gabrielle expanding on both the funny & the meaningful of book 1. The chapter about her daughter Zaya was my favorite. In this chapter she gives a nearly perfect example of being the parent of a trans child. I also really enjoyed the Isis/ Bring it on chapter. It was a really interesting discussion of how she felt she didn't go far enough, that I had not previously thought of. The chapter talking about the lasting affects of her SA were really meaningful and I am thankful she felt comfortable discussing.
There were also chapters I didn't love. I just struggled with referring to herself as failing as a woman and a wife for not being able to have a baby (this coming after being such a trans ally for her daughter was hard). There were also some other little details in this section that just gave me a pause. She again leaves gaps where I wish she would have expanded (Wade having another daughter? being absent for most of his children's school events & basically the whole surrogacy?)
The chapter about her mental health in perimenopause was very interesting. That was something I was unaware of in general and really has given me something to think about and another reason to check in on some of my loved ones. Gabrielle is also a strong supporter of therapy and I appreciate her being so loud about it.
I loved hearing her stories about being a black woman in Hollywood. These were the moments where her discussion of race really shine. The last chapter felt disconnected from her story. While I agree with the chapter, I started not to feel like her voice, but like a 3rd person scholarly article.
Overall, I would still recommend this memoir, but maybe as a slower read, not a binge read like I did it.
I liked her first memoir/ set of essays a bit better than this one. I enjoyed Gabrielle expanding on both the funny & the meaningful of book 1. The chapter about her daughter Zaya was my favorite. In this chapter she gives a nearly perfect example of being the parent of a trans child. I also really enjoyed the Isis/ Bring it on chapter. It was a really interesting discussion of how she felt she didn't go far enough, that I had not previously thought of. The chapter talking about the lasting affects of her SA were really meaningful and I am thankful she felt comfortable discussing.
There were also chapters I didn't love. I just struggled with referring to herself as failing as a woman and a wife for not being able to have a baby (this coming after being such a trans ally for her daughter was hard). There were also some other little details in this section that just gave me a pause. She again leaves gaps where I wish she would have expanded (Wade having another daughter? being absent for most of his children's school events & basically the whole surrogacy?)
The chapter about her mental health in perimenopause was very interesting. That was something I was unaware of in general and really has given me something to think about and another reason to check in on some of my loved ones. Gabrielle is also a strong supporter of therapy and I appreciate her being so loud about it.
I loved hearing her stories about being a black woman in Hollywood. These were the moments where her discussion of race really shine. The last chapter felt disconnected from her story. While I agree with the chapter, I started not to feel like her voice, but like a 3rd person scholarly article.
Overall, I would still recommend this memoir, but maybe as a slower read, not a binge read like I did it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Infertility, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Transphobia