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Excellent
Beautiful writers and story tellers, each every essayist. I was so moved by the collection of raw truth and emotion. It was therapy for my soul and a way of healing from the last 5 years in politics, pandemic and racial reckoning.
Even though this was a short collection, it took me a little while to get through because each essay or poem felt profound enough to take my time with. It includes Indigenous, Black, Asian-American, queer, disabled, and women writers (and of course, where each other carries multiple of these identities) specifically focusing on a response to 2020, from the beginning of Covid until Biden's election and everything in between-- some surreal and some personal narrative. So far, it has absolutely bee...
I can’t say I enjoyed reading this book, because it outlines so many ways society, especially US society, has gotten things wrong. It can be uncomfortable, even painful, to read at times. But I think that’s what we need to do- right? Especially as a white person- like me. This was a revelatory read. I recommend it.
These are wonderful, powerful, and poetic essays.
2020 will go down in history for multiple reasons. For the vast majority of the world’s population it was downright terrible, ushering in a global pandemic that kept us at home for months on end, cancelled graduations (my own daughter’s included), weddings and vacations, and had us all scrambling to find toilet paper. Millions of people lost their livelihoods and faced worries much bigger than not being able to squeeze the Charmin. 2020 also saw a reckoning in the United States; one between peop...
**Disclaimer** I won this ARC from a Goodreads giveaway. I wasn't required to write this review, it just seemed polite to do so after getting a free book. This is a stunning collection of essays and poetry. A multitude of voices all reacting to the tumult of 2020, here is the necessary reminder that even amidst sorrow and anger, hope remains a powerful force. One of the editors, Tracy K. Smith says it best in her preface: "Perhaps you will open this book and find solace during a time of conster...
4.7
Good
Heartbreaking, hope-inducing, lovely, powerful. These essays brought me right back to the months of pandemic, of George Floyd, of the 2020 election, introducing new perspectives and beautifully spoken sentiments. This one will be important to return to as the years go by.
This book is an inspiration. Thought provoking while letting the reader see into the minds of the eloquent writers. 2020 brought so many emotions to so many people. This book helped me to see that while I was having deep thoughts of what was and what was to come, others put pen to paper for this jewel. I reocmmend this book and will tell my teachers they may want to read it.
A moving set of reflections from the depths of 2020
What an amazing reading, feeling, and thinking experience! I didn't plan it this way, but am pleased that I finished reading it on the holiday commemorating Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's January 15 birthday. I am also reviewing the book on the holiday. This collection of 40 essays, most of them published by Lit Hub previously, deals with love, breath, family, home and writing as well as COVID 19, white supremacy, racist violence, protest, climate change, democracy, tyranny, and social transformat...
"I've been looking for your Kilimanjaro sweetness everywhere, I need it now more than ever. I don't want it like a pill I might pop when my anger rises with the news of the day. I want it like a backpack. Something I might put on and tighten around my shoulders and not take off until it is time for bed. Something heavy that has the power to pull back my shoulders." This is just one of many bits of writing which I felt got right to me. All the shared feelings as we all had different experiences o...
At moments hard to get through, so completely on point!
An important timely book written by BIPOC following the events of the first half of 2020. Every essay was beautiful and personal.
The authors of each of these essays are all excellent writers. This was a quick read because of their ability to clearly convey their thoughts and feelings on the matters of race, Covid, and Trump. But I did have one issue with this book. In just about every single story I find myself thinking back to the quote by the ancient Stoic philosopher Seneca which says: "We suffer more often in imagination than in reality." I am not a Democrat but wanted to pick up this book to see the other side's poin...
A collection of dozens of essays is a challenge for my brain to process, but I really liked and valued this book overall. Some of the stories/perspectives were particularly poignant considering all that has happened - especially in Minneapolis - over the last year+.
This was due before I could finish.
This is an absolutely beautiful compilation of letters written by people of color reflecting on the tumultuous year of 2020. I've featured my favorite letter in this post: Kamala Harris, Mass Incarceration, and Me. Reginald Dwyane Betts speaks on his experience with the criminal justice system and the complexities of incarceration. I found Betts to grapple empathetically with those on both sides of the spectrum, the victims and the perpetrators, while coming to the conclusion that there probably...
