recently, i bought a book that was getting a lot of hype on social media. everywhere i clicked, there it was! so, i bought it.
i’ve never been one to move with the herd. anytime i’ve done it, i’ve regretted it.
this was no exception.
i was about 30 pages in when i decided i couldn’t go any further. not a word of it landed in a genuine place in my spirit. i experienced a spiritual repudiation of this book. i had to put it down, and i wish i could return it.
but, the more i thought about it, the more i had to write about. i started writing my responses to the ideas that rattled my spirit. writing my way through the repudiation. writing my way to my peace. this book didn’t come to enlighten me, per se. it came as a conversation partner. a point of departure into a conversation about meaningful things. things that have to do with a Black humanity that is shaped by joy and abundance. a deep recognition of one’s place in her lineage, and a deep hope for what her life could mean for herself and her community. a more enfleshed Black humanity. a more fleshed-out Black humanity.
i’m glad i didn’t throw it away because it’s given me something to talk back to. talking back: a womanish act that is borne of a Black woman’s desire, not just to act grown, but to be grown. a recognition of her agency and an honoring of her voice. an act that, at one point in my life, would warrant punishment from the real grown women in my life, such as my mother or grandmothers. but, now, talking back is a spiritual currency of my thriving. it is my way of having my say, of speaking my mind, of speaking - and. writing - my peace.
i don’t mean, “shouting back.” i don’t even necessarily mean, “clapping back.” talking back is a tradition of discourse, which always requires listening. listening, when done well, requires considering divergent ideas that often come from divergent experiences. listening is important. even if a clap-back is required, it’s always most effective when it offers an informed perspective. an informed clap-back speaks to specifics, not to generalities. it cuts down to the marrow, rather than skimming the fat.
don’t throw away the bad book.
talk back to it.