Words of Fire: An Anthology of African-American Feminist Thought

Rating:
Summary: tremendously important book
Review: I first read this book in a Women's Studies class at the University of Washington. It was one of the several phenomenal books we were required to study during the course of the quarter. I felt so blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity to read these important words from the mouths and pens of a very underrepresented group in our nation: African-American women.

There are so many voices in this book, I don't want to begin to list them because I am sure I will leave someone of value out, but I will tell you that the articles written by Angela Davis, Sojourner Truth and Mrs. W.E.B Dubois are engaging and give you a new perspective on the "race movements" of the United States. Oftentimes, on the road to "equal rights" women of color were completely left out of the picture, and were in fact expected to stay quiet and stand by their men for comfort and support. This was at the expense of their own equality and hope for progress.

This is a book that should be read by many, and at a younger age than college. I feel our young people could really benefit from such valuable information and insight into the system of oppression that exists even within the African-American movements of the 1800s, 1900s and today.

Rating:
Summary: A Major Influence In My Life
Review: This book is an introduction to the wealth of perspective of Black Feminists. Using whole essays by Black women in the US, this anthology highlights some of the best in Black Political Theory. One of the things that becomes extremely apparent is that Black Feminists are experts in the issue of differences between people. In one of the essays, Audre Lorde says that the future of the planet depends on women redefining difference. In this vein Audre Lorde has been one of the most influential people on the issue of intersectionality and positionality, meaning that people are diverse in a multitude of ways and that they occupy many different spaces in the human universe. Get this book, it will change the way you see everything.

Rating:
Summary: A Major Influence In My Life
Review: This book is an introduction to the wealth of perspective of Black Feminists. Using whole essays by Black women in the US, this anthology highlights some of the best in Black Political Theory. One of the things that becomes extremely apparent is that Black Feminists are experts in the issue of differences between people. In one of the essays, Audre Lorde says that the future of the planet depends on women redefining difference. In this vein Audre Lorde has been one of the most influential people on the issue of intersectionality and positionality, meaning that people are diverse in a multitude of ways and that they occupy many different spaces in the human universe. Get this book, it will change the way you see everything.