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This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope
Top of the pile
91
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
85/100Critics
96/100Scholars
Author:
Shayla Lawson
Publisher:
Harper Perennial
Date:
June 30, 2020
From poet Shayla Lawson, director of creative writing at Amherst College, comes a collection of personal essays on the richness and resilience of black girl culture. In a narrative that is part memoir and part social history lesson, the author blends her own story with black womenâs broader cultural histories.
What The Reviewers Say
Shayla Lawson, the director of creative writing at Amherst College and author of three poetry collections, seeks to look beyond the notion that Black girls are magic. This Is Major: Notes on Diana Ross, Dark Girls, and Being Dope not only spotlights the nuances of Black womanhood but also rejects the claim that their power is rooted in an inherently superhuman or supernatural disposition.
Poet Lawson takes a deep dive into the fabrication of Black womanhood in her heartfelt debut collection of essays.
A memoir in essays serves as a bold and deeply personal celebration of black women’s lives and culture.
Poet Lawson...the director of creative writing at Amherst College, offers personal stories and cultural observations in this insightful collection of 17 essays about being a black woman in the U.S.
