book review: post traumatic slave syndrome
18 Nov 2019
What are the main ideas?
- we absolutely live in a racist society that structurally keeps african americans from succeeding. AND some of elements of african american culture are tied to behaviors that were once adaptive and are now maladaptive.
- healing is necessary but not sufficient to live a healthy life. we have to do more than heal to thrive. we must create new ways of being and being together in order to truly claim our free selves.
If I implemented one idea from this book right now, which one would it be?
pay attention to behaviors in the black community that maybe once were helpful and are no longer. be more gentle with myself and other black folks as we undo those old behaviors and practice new ones (note: my relationship to finances is a great place to start!)
How would I describe the book to a friend?
a super readable (and yet very serious, even brutal at times) look at african american culture, its roots, and offering of pathways towards healing and, eventually, liberation. joy takes you through the nitty gritty of slavery in the us, how it shaped african american culture and how, without critical thought, we black folks can re-create some of the same patterns. after pointing that all out, she provides a number ideas for how to heal those intergenerational wounds and make new culture(s) in ways that lead us out of the past and into an increasingly free future.
i would only recommend this book to black people. of course anyone can read it, but i would encourage non-black people to read books about whiteness, its cultural constructions, and ways to heal our society from it rather than reading and learning about work that, as non-black people, you can’t actually do.
reminder: book review structure
words / writing / post-processing
301w / 13min / 5min