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Although the relationship ended badly, I have to credit my first girlfriend with having introduced me to this CLASSIC. Make no mistake, this book stands as the giant on whose shoulders so many far-thinking theorist have stood. I'd seriously suggest that you give a copy to your partner as a gift. That is, if she's not already got a copy. It may save you from having to do so much 'explaining.' If she doesn't see, understand or respect what she's read, then I'd advise you to prepare yourself to deal with the rabid defensiveness this book may arouse in her. |
| I have seen some of the greatest minds among us destroyed by Self-Medication. Mental illness is a disease of the body, not of the soul. Please read this book! And if you have been diagnosed or suspect that you may have the symptoms of a chemical imbalance, then please, I implore you, go to a doctor. If she prescribes a medication, then please just take it. And if it does not work properly, then please, go back to the doctor, make them do their damn job and keep trying until you find the right medication. Please don't give up and just stop taking it. I am not with any drug company; I don't hold any interest in promoting one drug or another. Little more than a year ago, I lost one of my sisters to suicide. This book , though written by a heterosexual black woman, is just as fitting for those of us who are Lesbians, Bi-sexual or Cross-Gendered. Please understand that as humans, we are both spiritual and physiological beings. You would not stigmatize a person who has to use an inhaler for asthma. Chemical imbalances can not be prayed or meditated away! Though very different in their connotations, one can not pray away one's sexual orientation or skin color, right?! "Natural remedies" aren't necessarily formulated to target the specific areas of the cells involved in a clinically diagnosed chemical imbalance! I know that there are those of us out there who think that homeopathic remedies are better because they are 'natural.' O.K. Arsenic and Hemlock ( both poisons) are also 'naturally' occurring substances. This book is great in that it addresses some of the concerns of black women when it comes to seeking help for mental health issues. I have had friends that I've had to say good-bye to because, as anyone who has ever had an addict as a loved one knows, if the person does not seek help, then you become nothing more than an enabler for that friend's addiction. Believe it or not, many alcoholics are actually manic-depressives! Alcohol and illegal drugs are the things that can destroy a person's life and potential, not the prescribed and monitored use of psycho tropics. Be suspicious of those who purport, "solving one's own problems" or the conjecture that taking a pill is a sign of weakness. As Black lesbians, we live a hard life, a life that can take its physical toll on one's body; A physical toll that may take the form of a chemical imbalance! Taking prescribed medication, going to therapy, doing the emotional work and making mental health care providers accountable for helping you to be the best person you can be is not a sign of weakness or laziness. Hitting a pipe, snorting a line or taking it out on one's loved ones is not a viable option to taking a frickin' pill and going to a frickin' therapist! Please, if only for the love of one's creator, seek help! Nurturing one's mental health is a way to level the playing field. If you're not focused on hating yourself, destroying your life, or consciously or sub-consciously trying to kill yourself, then you definitely become a threat to the status quo. Helping your body to maintain a correct level of serotonin or any other neurotransmitters, getting the right amount of light during the winter months and avoiding the trap of using alcohol, dope, gambling or sex is a way to bring about lasting social change! |
After having received the requisite dose of self-hatred from my high school experience, I picked up this book during my first year of college. I, then promptly put it back down. Since then after many readings, I'm so thankful to the brave women responsible for its content and release. This book provided my very first taste of awareness. I owe A LOT to these women. |
Here is another lovely poem by Lucille Clifton. Just substitue the word, "brothers" and we all have a love song that we can sing to each other. |
| The Myth and Tradition of the Black Bulldagger Click Title to link! This article from, "Black Lace" a wonderful magazine that was published in the early 1990's,is a treat from start to finish. It reads well and is informative! |
This exhaustively researched compilation of primary sources is a masterpiece. It will force you to shake off any complacency that has settled in. That said, it can also make it difficult to look into the eyes of one's friends or partner and still manage to trust them. With the permanent, pervasive hatred in this culture, I know how one has to fight the good fight and try to see the people of one's life as individuals rather than as representatives of all that's monstrous, greedy and cruel. I'd suggest giving this book to your friends and/or partner. Make them see and maybe even appreciate what you have to overcome, the unavenged crimes done against our ancestors (both nameless and without number), in order to keep our hearts free of bitterness, hatred and mistrust. |
Nothing can provide comfort like a fine book. Reading is a wonderful way to assuage the feeling of isolation that we all experience sometimes. One book that will stand firm in my mind for all time is the classic, "All the women are white, all the blacks are men But Some of Us Are Brave." Although written as a primer for scholars who are developing a Black Women's Study course, this book to me has become almost a devotional. |
| Cool Links National Alliance on Mental Illness Click on name to link! Our mental health is just as important as our physical health! This is a good and resourceful organization. Check them out!! |
" I Used To Be a Sailor" Click title to listen! Artist: Tracy Chapman Album: Matters of the Heart BUY THE CD! |
| " Mad, mad me" By: Tuck & Patti Album: Tears of joy |
| I loved this book!! It's a children's book that I wish to heaven had existed when I was a kid! It's a great book to give as a gift to parents who want to raise a super-cool daughter. Or to give to the 'tool dyke' in your life. The main character's last name is "Whattasheena!" Oh hell yeah!! |
| "Never Yours" click title to listen! Artist: Tracy Chapman Album: Where You Live Do something good for yourself; invest in this CD There's just something about this album-- It's got this cool, defiant self-expressiveness to it that just feels good to hear. Yep, she's still got it !! |
| "Change" Click title to listen ! Artist: Tracy Chapman Album: Where You Live "If you saw the face of God and Love...?" Why would God need change for the bus? |
| "Knocks My Off My Feet" Artist: Stevie Wonder Album: Songs from the Key of Life (Re-issue) Enjoy this beautiful work of art from head to toe! |