I read this book with the hope that Ms Brown would illuminate what actual justice or equality would look like. It was largely a memoir and a good one. I went school in the 70s and 80s so my experience was different but I was surprised to hear about hers as I had assumed things had changed somewhat since I had been in school. She seemed put off by the fact that the predominantly white school she attended taught and treated her through the lens of 'whiteness', but I am not sure how they could have...

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness is Austin Channing Brown’s story of growing up in a predominately white world. She talks about her childhood and church, her family, her experiences in college and the work world, and throughout all of this, embracing being Black. Austin is spot on in her discussion of many workplaces. I rolled my eyes multiple times in frustration on her behalf as she recounted comments and challenges from coworkers, even those alleging they meant no h...

This was an excellent collection of essays with a clear and concise voice. It was also such a personally meaningful experience for me, a black, Christian woman who has also often been the only one in the room. This was clear-eyed and honest. It managed to both be realistic and hard-hitting, but hopeful and full of love. There wasn't much here that felt new to me, in terms of ideas, but they were things well conveyed and tied to Austin's personal experiences. She tells her own story well. I will

Update on the second read-through. Turns out I gave that first copy away to my student, a senior black student, my advisee, who's "so done" (for good reason) with the institution where I work--an institution like many of the institutions Brown works for. I bought another copy to teach from this week in a Theology and Literature of the Black Body. Finished this book today. Handed it to my white kids as soon as I closed the cover. Listen, I said.

If you're at all familiar with Austin Channing Brown, you know she is a gifted communicator as both a writer and speaker. I had high hopes for her first book and I was hooked from the first page. I had intended to only read the first few chapters and before I knew it, I chucked my plans for the day and wrapped myself up in the pages of Austin's story.By the time I finished reading, I was even more in awe of Austin. I'm Still Here is truly phenomenal.Austin shares how even her very name challenge...

Yeah, I'm going to need my own copy of this book so I can re-read it and mark it up. So many good truths in here.Watch me discuss this book in my July wrap up: https://youtu.be/8kaQcaNn9uw

"Even when the world doesn’t believe that Black bodies are capable of love. Even when it doesn’t believe that I survive on intimacy, that I need other beings for love. Even when I would prefer to be immune, I am human. I demand intimacy. I demand tomorrow. I demand love."I was hesitant to read I'm Still Here after seeing in several reviews that the author talks a lot about her religion. I thought it would be prevalent throughout the book, taking away from its message.I decided to read it anyway,...

While I am giving this book a two star rating I do believe that I did in fact learn a few things from this book and am better for it. Also it did cause me to think and evaluate how I perceive the world and if my thought process needs some tweaking.What I liked:Brown was honest and wrote with so much passion. Brown also shared some of her personal life expierence regarding racism and talks about sometimes theses things are not seen by the majority of the the United States. I also like how she tal...

"I'm Still Here" was written for black women. As a white woman, I spent the majority of the book feeling like a voyeur - I learned from the stories but rarely connected with Austin's. And that's the point. I need to read more stories in which I don't see any part of myself. I need to listen and learn and listen some more. Austin Channing Brown reminds me that it's not her job to educate me on my journey to understanding racial justice. But this book definitely helped me see my own uncomfortable

A short impactful portrayal of Austin’s life experience. I’ll never assume to know what she or any other minority experiences day to day. I am aware that white privilege is real and we can all do better to recognize the need for change.

"This book is my story about growing up in a Black girl's body.""I am not a priest for the white soul.""Our only chance at dismantling racial injustice is being more curious about its origins than we are worried about our comfort."This is a powerful book. Many of Brown's experiences being black in a white world have echoed my own. However, they are more visceral because she lives with the double bind of being a black female. Her book is part memoir and also has elements of James Baldwin and Ta-N...

I don't currently rate books I'm reading for my own education/personal growth or what could be classed as memoirs. This is a very personal view on what it is to be a Black Christian woman in America today. It looks at the daily microaggressions Austin experiences, the evolution of racism and how this has changed her outlook on life as well as examining some hard truths about white fragility and white tears. Unlike some recent books I've read on the topic, I appreciated that this was very singula...

In the same way that not everyone was ready and could handle, Between the World and Me, this is another that some will have a hard time with. It was not meant to comfort white people. It's written to share a black experience. With that being said, if there is one book that could most accurately define my Christian black womanhood... my thoughts, my pain, my fear, my concerns, my frustrations, my awareness that I MUST press on despite not having much to cling to for hope... it's this book. I read...

3.5 starsThis was short, but impactful. I consider myself, like probably most white people, to not be a racist. However this book opened my eyes a little more to the fact that in some ways I prioritize not being seen as a racist over educating myself in ways to actually not be racist. There's of course different shades of racism, from the KKK burning crosses all the way to daily microaggressions. I think the one I am most guilty of is the expectation of assimilation to white cultural norms, some...

~ 3.5 stars ~I've been putting off reviewing this, simply because I didn't know how to. Memoirs are usually harder for me to review, because any critique of the book comes off as a critique on the person's life, or how they want to present it. So I want to start off by saying that my intent with this review is not to judge or dictate if this is a good or bad book or not. I will state subjectively the things I thought were done well, and the things I wish were done differently.I do think that thi...

This was a tough read for a do-gooder white lady to read. Very convicting about the ways that my needs trump those of people of color and how much I want them to adapt to me and my group. I want diversity without having to change. Very personal and explicit. Not for the faint of heart—but more of us white people should be brave.

There is nothing else to say besides this: this is an important book that should be read by everyone. Stories matter, especially those who have been marginalized over history.

Absolutely breathtaking! Just a few pages into this book, I knew that I had to finish it in one day. Austin Channing Brown does what many of us have been needing for so long: she centers her Black womanhood in her memoir of racial justice, reconciliation, and Christianity. By doing so, she demonstrates what womanist theologians have consistently claimed: when you begin with the experiences and needs of Black women, you articulate a theology that encompasses all. This is a memoir, to be sure, but...

Great book. Concisely written with distinct examples of what it means to live in a predominantly white world. "To be a black person in this world and to be relatively conscious of your blackness, is to be in a rage almost all the time."- James Baldwin Figuring out how to control that rage so that it won’t destroy you is a mind trip because as soon as you think you have it made, something else happens sometimes even something worse.Also, here's the thing that's part of the rage which can be summe...

Everything Brown says is right and true. She writes it clearly and well. And everyone who has not already internalized the message of white privilege needs to keep reading these books until they can understand what it is like to not have white privilege. However, there is so little in this book and in others that might push us forward. And don't get me wrong, I don't mean optimism and hope, but change. I get the feeling in all these books that white supremacy is so ingrained that whatever is don...