Good Hair

I am bored talking and hearing about black women and their hair. Our Hair. I am 53 and have had natural hair for 30 years. I really am bored of the new found interest in how I wear my hair over the last 10years.
I think I liked that I was quite unique but not any more. Now on most days someone stops me to talk about it, offer advice, ask questions about my 'journey' admire my hair and yes, touch it sometimes. The last thing I want to do is read about it.
That is true. Until I saw Emma Dabiri on BBC iPlayer Back to the Future. I was struck my her accessible manner and sought to find more about her.

Don't Touch My Hair too, talks about the beauty of black hair in an accessible manner-the history, the real dilemmas including the emotions, perceptions, cost and more.

I'll be revisiting this book especially as I book marked points to read more about.

Thank you very much Emma Dabiri

7 people found this helpful

An enjoyable learning experience

Emma's voice is easy to listen to which is an important thing for me in terms of an audio book .

As an Irish person it was important for me to hear her experiences growing up in our mutual country which has treated each of us differently. Ireland still has a long way to go to change the narrative for other kids growing up with different hair texture and different skin colour.

I'm glad I listened to what Emma had to share and the history of hair that she shares is fascinating and sobering. I highly recommend this book

4 people found this helpful

Beautiful.

As a mixed person I found this book to be INCREDIBLY healing & enlightening. I genuinely couldn't recommend this enough. the narrator has a beautiful voice, too.

4 people found this helpful

A history & culture lesson in one book

So much to learn from one book. It could easily be a series on the history of African culture

3 people found this helpful

Skip the audio and read the book!

This is a good ole rant book wrapped up in black history, sociology, politics and ideology with a bit about black hair thrown in for good measure!

As such, the title I feel, misrepresents the actual nature and content of the book - although it's still a good read, however.

And read the book is what I should have done as the audio version is poor. The author is a terrible narrator of her own work. There were constant changes in tone, pace and energy. It sounded as though Dabiri were bored and uninterested one moment and full of energy and enthusiasm the next. As a result, she makes her own challenging, intellectual and well presented work sound mediocre and lackluster.

Additionally, Dabiri often stumbles over her own words, pauses in places in werid places breaking the flow and I found the sound of her swallowing  irritating.

2 people found this helpful

Brilliant read it!

A really fascinating look at the significance of hair and a really interesting look at the long lasting impacts of colonialism. So worth reading!!

2 people found this helpful

Fantastic book

This book is amazing. As a woman of Jamaican descent, I found this book to be a reflection of myself. I found my own thoughts and feelings articulated back to me in a way I have never been able to fully express. I have learned things about African culture that I see evidenced in myself and my family. I wish all black people could read this book, particularly those who have descended from slaves, as maybe they can feel connected to the roots and culture that was stolen from them as much as I was. I highly recommend this book, it was a pleasure to listen to and I can't wait to listen to it again. Thank you Emma Dabiri and thank you Audible :)

5 people found this helpful

First two chapters good but not the rest.

The remaining chapters had less focus on the topic of hair and more on historical racial issues with very tenuous links made to hair. Some hair topics could have been expanded upon within the book, whilst other pertinent hair topics were left out completely.

1 person found this helpful

Loved it

Very informative and interesting. I found it very easy to listen to and will probably listen again but might make notes next time so I can remember and come back to all the history I was so intrigued by.

Not for all audiences

The material is necessary for all audiences but the profanity unfortunately makes it the contrary.