Wounds of Passion: A Writing Life

If you want to read books that focus on black women, you better start writing and keep writing 4.5 5Reading this book is akin to pulling a tooth that needs to be out, and as someone who s had that done eight times, I know a thing about necessary discomfort and healthful dispossession The purging quality of the writing is tangible, and I can well imagine hooks sigh of relief once the last edit had been sponged off and the publisher had finally acquiesced to the finished product Inevitably, this w [...]

For a good part of Wounds of Passion, I was frustrated by hooks decisions, which I worried would bring her harm At times, they did I was also frustrated by how passive she was, though hooks maintains that she was always in control, even when she listens to a tape recording of herself sounding like a small child bell prides herself on her insight into the hearts of those around her, even though she does not see that she has entered into a relationship with a man that strongly recalls her father.U [...]

hooks emotional fluctuations and unpleasant family relations are difficult for some people to get through when reading this book However, if you ever have the opportunity and self discipline to finish Wounds of Passion, hooks gives great insight into the modern movement for the use of birth control and women s rights Throughout the memoir hooks uses two voices to tell her story one is in third person, looking back at the her past and the other narrative explains the events as they are happening [...]

A rare, five star book Written with so much heart An examination of the multitude of selves we are in the world and being into relationships some encased by the author others are her observations of her friends and family Also I love how she emphasizes this is her non linear, perhaps not entirely non fictional, autobiography so it is entirely her perspectives and observations Brilliant.

Wounds of Passion is aptly titled It is a book about injuries to a self that passionately wants to bear witness to its painful truths, which is to say born on the other side of the tracks in Kentucky, witness to the rage of a father who thought his wife betrayed him, black in a country where the white elites had become post racial feminists aren t you over that black thing yet , wanting to be an academic rather than an a literary writer, not wanting to be drawn to a cold, brilliant, sexy man who [...]

this book blew me away i never imagined an autobiography could be so beautiful and poetic this non chronological story tells of hooks life as a writer and lover she speaks of being a black feminist writer surrounded by deaf white ears, and of a creative spirit punished by patriarchal culture hooks tells of growing up in kentucky, traumatic loss of love between her parents, her love of her grandmother s house and idealised marriage of 70 years moving back and forth between the world of her childh [...]

This was the first book by Bell Hooks that I have read, but I am immediately going to to find other books by her This memoir centers on Hooks life as a writer and how her life shaped her politics.It goes into her childhood struggles, how she tries to carve a place for herself as a writer while struggling to have a romatic relationship with a man Hooks work is studded with womens studies, feminist theory, racial theory, and literary reference The first two thirds of the book are absolutely amazin [...]

A good memoir about how she came to writing When she spoke in Seattle she discussed how difficult it was to get this book published because it was considered experiential at the time and the people who publish didn t want to take a risk belle is an academic writer, but this book reflects her personal journey She talks about her early relationship with a writer and their breakup and how it affected her writing, unusual for a black woman to reveal so much personal info This book is a bold book tha [...]

bell hooks is an inspiration I ve never read any of her other books but I m inspired to read and learn about this courageous woman As an aspiring writer I couldn t have picked a better book to read about the struggles and tribulations of finding voice in the midst of all the silence Her dedication to telling the truth, even at times where it could potentially create so much hurt, is not only admirable but beautiful I look forward to growing and learning about my own voice using this book as a [...]

Like Bone Black, here s an impressionistic collage of remembered moments that speak to and for my heart bell hooks brings subjective truth, sets it to the music of well chosen words and simple sentences As with Bone Black, my connection to bell hooks and her writing comes from a deeply personal place, I think But maybe it s just that her truths transcend social boundaries and would touch chords in any open heart mind.

bell hookswhere have you been all of my life It has been a long time since I have read a book at exactly the right time and place in my life.

This was my first full length bell hooks book and it was refreshing I felt quiet and contemplative every time I picked it up, feeling lucky enough to be privy to such a rich and reflective inner life There are secrets here, and yes, much passion There is pain and memory and lessons learned and I am grateful to have learned so much from this short novel She writes with poeticism and ache which transcend the pages Thank you bell hooks, for offering so much of yourself to us readers so that we may [...]

I was not planning to read this book I was looking for Belonging , but Powell s didn t have it so I luckily selected Wounds of Passion ll hooks ripped herself open and bled this memoir It was beautiful, and heart breaking, and thought provoking Her writing is a gift, and as relevant today as 20 years ago I look forward to reading of her repertoire.

This is one of my required texts for my memoir writing class, and the first one to make me say, oh ok, so this is what a real memoir looks like It is very well written, and is about several things It s about the struggle between creation and passion, the physical and the emotional, the lines between ownership and freedom in relationships Hooks wants an open relationship, but like any relationship of that kind, it comes with a certain amount of consequences But Hooks carries them with her, wrappe [...]

Favorite quotes Living in a world of racial apartheid where custom and conventions invented to separate black and white lasted long past an end to legal racial discrimination, those who are powerless black folks must be overly aware of small details as we go about our lives to be sure we do not enter forbidden territory to be sure we will not be hurt You learn to notice things You learn where not to walk, the stores you don t want to go in, the white people you should not look directly in the fa [...]

Review in progress It s idiotic to write disdainfully of the decisions or thought processes hooks goes through in this book She s writing of a period of growth in her life Of course some of it is going to be harmful But she explains her motives behind such decisions in much detail it s the point of the book, after all I also disagree with the reviewer who said the last third of the book wasn t so hot It s the part I enjoyed the most Rather, I think at first it was a little hard for me to get int [...]

This is what it means to be among the colonizers, you do not have to listen to what the colonized say, especially if their ideas come from experience and not from books p.98 I was awed by my innocence How could I have thought that I could speak truth to power and not be punished p 134 She didn t expect everybody to be like her, to want to face things up front She understood their differences Mostly though she was too understanding p 185 That s the point, not that everything in a marriage or part [...]

I had an admittedly mixed reaction to this book and it took me awhile to finish it bell hooks is a thinker who I admire tremendously and whose writings had a big influence on me when I was writing my Master s thesis I didn t always enjoy the poetic, repetitive and nonlinear style of her writing for this particular book, though I recognize the technique and appreciate the skill it takes to be good at it That said, this is an unbelievably brave book about bell hooks becoming bell hooks and worth r [...]

bell hooks Wounds of Passion A Writing Life explores how Gloria Watkins aka bell hooks, famous feminist theorist came to find her own voice as a writer Following her from her humble beginnings as a Black girl growing up in the rural poor South to a prominent feminist theorist who still grappled with male domination in an abusive relationship, hooks lays out her past and her raw emotions truthfully This emotional, and often heart wrenching journey that made hooks the writer she is today is both c [...]

This is a must read Beautiful and moving, bell hooks takes the reader insider her personal struggle for growth and love I was surprised to find deep religious and spiritual insights woven throughout, it can be very raw Some readers may be put off at times by her blatant racial and sexual conclusions But she paints a vivid picture of what it was like to be an outspoken Black feminist from the South during the civil rights era.

This book is one of my favorite books It made me feel strong, beautiful, and comfortable with who I am The words in this book have come up in my dreams I have heard her advice and nurturing in my head too many times to count And the painful truths she discusses so frankly, I feel them and remember my own experiences that mirror hers and it cuts cleanly and sharply, leaving an impact that never leaves.

I ll always remember this book as the one I read while in Lake Tahoe in 1999 I always struggle to describe books that I love It s about bell hooks career as a writer, it s about the sexually open relationship she had with a fellow writer, it s about where she gets her inspiration bell hooks is a respected feminist scholar who has written extensively on race and class, and this is a fascinating look at how she got where she is.

I could not put this book down bell hooks writes her life, her loves, her passion and you can recognize yourself in her prose The title, writer, does not do her justice She makes you a partner in her life by putting you at the scene of her guilt, shame, anger, boldness and her long time relationship with a man.She grew up in the time frame where I was still finding my way her experiences shout to me in my memories.Her passion for being a true writer cannot be denied.

I cannot even get into this book review without writing 80 pages It s one of my favorite reads of all time The way bell hooks rediscovers and analyzes her life through black femininity through classism, racism, feminism, relationships, black masculinity, family and academia all while existing in her own experience and both claiming her vulnerability and humanity is just ethereal This book is too perfect for this earth and is essential.

bell hooks control and manipulation of the language is incredible This is one of those books as art type experiences, but not so experimental that you have a hard time moving forward It s quite beautiful, actually The subject matter is not quite to my taste, however and I found myself slipping away through lack of connection with the narrator That is my issue, not one that the book holds.

This has to be one of my favorite books because she presented herself as so ordinary while being extra ordinary at the same time I also enjoyed the way she switched back and forth between first and third person sometimes we need both to properly process stuff The most inspiring part about the book for me is that she always did what was right for herd everyone else had to get with the program later on.

I enjoyed it Very interesting writing, nice change of perspective and voice and a great insight into some of the issues around racism, sexism and patriarchy It just didn t quite hang together enough for me to give it 4 stars But I would highly recommend it and I am keen to read other writings by bell hooks.

I absolutely loved this book It is an inspired and brilliant poetic memoir In this second memoir hooks talks about her writing life and trying to build it within a relationship I have always enjoyed reading hooks for her critical theory This is a complete other dimension to her incredible talent.

Not my favorite of bell s work I wish it was a little cohesive and less stream of memory while maintaining the authenticity of her writing journey Somehow the retelling of her relationship seems to hurt her ability to write even though the book is supposedly about the development of her writing voice It seems stilted because of the associated pain

This is a story of how bell hooks found her voice A memoir of bell hooks discovery of feminist politics and her dedication to living a writing life, this book was fraught with fight Her commitment to her vision is courageous and inspiring hooks early connection to poetry and language is inviting This book awoke in me a desire to read poetry and take up the pen again To passion