Nichole Perkins shares essay after brilliant essay on life as a Southern Black woman learning to own her own power. The poet and Nashville native expertly uses pop culture as a lens through which to examine her life, and mostly her sexuality ... Perkins paints a deeply personal and unapologetic portrait of her journey to becoming the strong, empowered woman she is today. One of the most fearless books out there, it opens with a young, inexperienced Perkins navigating sex and love and ends with a woman who knows exactly what she wants and isn’t afraid to go and get it ... Above all else, this is a book about desire, and more specifically, shamelessly owning that desire. Utilizing humor, raw honesty, and an intimate writing style with which readers can easily connect, Perkins has crafted a powerful memoir that is well worth the read.
... engaging ... Perkins describes her sexual experiences with a great deal of candor and reflection. The book has no hard beginning or ending, but rather leaves readers with the understanding that the author’s journey began long before this narrative and will continue long after. It’s a book that’s full of surprises, whether Perkins is reflecting on college memories or dating mishaps, and the beautiful writing and honesty will keep readers turning the pages to the very end ... Memoir readers who appreciate unpredictability, candor, and pop culture will enjoy this book and may very well find themselves thinking about it even weeks after they’ve finished it.
This is a funny, sexy, reverent, vulnerable meditation on Black women’s sexuality through one woman’s journey to her own hard-won power, a gift to memoir readers.
Perkins... cleverly illustrates how pop culture has the power to shape, break, and illuminate the stories people tell about themselves and their intersecting identities ... Writing from a place of humility and humor, Perkins paints an exuberant portrait of a Black woman speaking to and from her power. Tender and bright, this intimate work piques nonstop.
A thoroughly enjoyable journey into the mind of a beloved pop-culture commentator ... The author is unafraid to lay herself bare, and she boldly recounts the ups and downs of her life as a Black girl and woman ... Perkins doesn’t deliver a standard happily-ever-after ending. Nobody is coming to save her from her circumstances, and that’s OK. She continues to strive and persevere by honing the ultimate secret weapons: self-acceptance and self-care. Fans will appreciate this closer look into Perkins' life and adventures, and newcomers will get to know her well.
