Book Review: Hair Power, Skin Revolution
by Nicole Moore
Publication Date: May 17, 2010
List Price: $19.95
Format: Paperback, 214 pages
Classification: Poetry
ISBN13: 9781848763937
Imprint: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Publisher: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Parent Company: Troubador Publishing Ltd
Read a Description of Hair Power, Skin Revolution
Book Reviewed by Kam Williams
"I can honestly say I have a passion for language… I enjoy
writing and editing, and I write every day… The purpose of this collection
is to offer the creative expressions of 48 black and mixed-race women
writers whose voices are among those defining this new era of contemporary
black British literature… The writers offer empowering, encouraging and
creative ways of understanding and relating to the themes of hair and skin.
The personal essay genre is more than 400 years-old and is one of my
favourite ways to express honesty, the past, expansions of the self, and
much more. It certainly should be celebrated."
—Excerpted from the Introduction (pgs. xi-xiv)
Judging by the inspirational poems and essays contained in this
anthology, sisters over in England are enthusiastically embracing their
natural hair and skin tones. That’s assuming these female contributors to be
a representative sample of black and bi-racial Brits, as they are generally
quite comfortable with how they look, as opposed to devoting a lot of time
to trying to measure up to a Caucasian standard of beauty. Not that this
mindset always came very easily. For Hair Power Skin Revolution is filled
with plenty of heartfelt testimonials about arriving at self-liberation only
after having tried a rigorous regimen of hair relaxers and/or skin
lighteners.
Edited by Nicole Moore, the book is comprised of the reflections of a very
gifted group of writers, each of whom has an intimate tale of enlightenment
to share. For example, Patsy Antoine admits that "I hated my roots" and
"despising my kink," sadly believing "I was acceptable only if I mirrored
the ‘dream’ images that left no room for tightly wound curls." She goes on
to explain that, fortunately, nine years ago, "I embraced my ‘fro" because
"my hair is so much more than decorative, it is the very thing that connects
me to who I am."
Christine Collymore talks about how, "As a child, my hair was mine but not
under my control." Consequently, her head was subjected to a host of
chemicals and curly perms until, as an adult, she finally managed to undo
the harmful socialization that had left her hating her natural hair. Another
entry I found fascinating was that of Donna-Marie Glashen who stopped using
a line of cosmetics designed for African-American women which contained
bleach because it left her face blotchy.
A special treat is how Hair Power Skin Revolution also features photos of
many of the authors. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, these
priceless portraits serve as living proof that sisters can often be even
more beautiful than ever when walking the Earth as God intended.