(e)Book – Girl Gurl Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic

   (e)Book –  Girl Gurl Grrrl: On Womanhood and Belonging in the Age of Black Girl Magic

UK title : Girl. 

Author:  Kenya Hunt

Score: 9/10
Year:  2020

Publisher:  Harper Collins 

ISBN :  9780062987655

Pages 169

Kenya Hunt, an American expat, who moved to London in late 2008, is a journalist, Deputy Editor in a fashion magazine, mixes in this series of essays her personal anecdotes, both frivolous and momentous, in what it is to be living and thriving as a Black Woman today, based on a long stretch of her personal and individual history, on the back of a larger picture of various and intersectional histories : those of women, of Black women, American Black women, and Black People at large, in this ever changing world. 

Although Black women are now more visible or more publicly celebrated, Kenya Hunt shows us the more complex aspects of societal views, and how Black women's lives are experienced as conflicted and full of contradictions. 

She explains her different experiences of what it is to be a Black Woman back in her home State of Virginia, and contrasts it with her expat life in London - via examples of taxi and Uber ride conversations with drivers, of sociocultural events and parties she attended, to illustrate each point. 

Kenya's style is fluid, accessible and yet razor sharp in her observations of how racist the world still is, despite several periods in which attempts had been made to close the gap and re-equalize the injustices. 

Her stand is to give other women, other Black Women, a voice, and to this end includes contribution chapters from Candice Carty-Williams (chapter 19, about her book Queenie), Ebele Okobi (ch.12 on Loss), Freddie Harrel (ch. 16, Just for me), Jessica Horn (ch. 13 So we don't die tomorrow) and Funmi Fetto (ch. 7, Upon reflection). Their styles are matched with that of Kenya's, fluid and poignant, each discussing their own experiences as Black Women in the face of racism and adversity, creating their own spaces. 

There are a total of 20 chapters, preceded by a Dedication and Introduction, concluded by an Epilogue, Acknowledgements, About the author, copyright, and about the publisher (at least in this e-book format).

Girl  both illuminates our current cultural moment, with personal author and contributors anecdotes, as well as background information in Black History. 

Kenya Hunt and her 5 contributors tell us their first person experiences, the fear for their safety and for their loved ones, especially with increasing murders and police brutalities - and their hopes for a safer world is palpable and very direct. 

They discuss the celebration of womanhood, of blackness, the invisibility made more visible in our recent present, the possibilities for growth and the wished target of equilibrium, equal rights, visibility within the masses.

Although technically super well written, I'm not into the religiosity that is discussed in a full chapter and additional bits elsewhere - I'm an Atheist and feel the point was made, not needing so much extra emphasis. 

There were a few triggery moments and difficult to read (see bellow), hence the overall score. 

Trigger warnings : I'll warn that ch. 8 Motherhood contains difficult passages about miscarriages and abortion ; the Epilogue : the way we grieve reminds of several police brutality cases and difficult to read (again).