In Our Shoes: On Being a Young Black Woman in Not So 'Post-Racial America

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In Our Shoes- On Being a Young Black Woman in Not-So "Post-Racial" America is a memoir in essays about young Black women and thestereotypes and preconceived notions they are expected to live up to, examined through the lens of Brianna Holt's lived experience and pop culture to help readers unlearn their biases and expand their worldviews. Part memoir, part cultural critique, In Our Shoes will walk readers through the common stereotypes and issues young Black women have to overcome in modern America, in order to dismantle myths about Black womanhood and explore the roles Black millennial women take on simply to survive. In nine thoughtful chapters laced with searing commentary, reportage,personal anecdotes from Brianna's own life, as well as interviews conducted with "everyday" Black women, In Our Shoes hopes to illuminate readers on the complexities of existence for Black women and create a digestible, thought-provoking book that will help readers to learn, empathize, reflect, and act. A personal history, a work of criticism, a piece of reporting, and a call to action, In Our Shoes is a timely exploration of race and womanhood that aims to entertain and inform.

Reviews

"Holt offers particularly potent critiques of unconscious bias in the workplace and the many flaws inherent in white feminism. A commendable, colloquial perspective on a continually fraught topic.Kirkus

"Part memoir and part cultural critique, Holts collection of essays about Black millennial womanhood continues a very important conversation around how Black women and femmes can unlearn the harmful ideologies projected onto them by our white supremacist society, while also reclaiming our existence and empathizing with that of others who look like us." Refinery29

In Our Shoes is a collection of essays that shine a light on the issues Black millennial women face every day. Author Brianna Holt brilliantly tackles everything from code-switching and tone policing to the dangers of medical misinformation." The Root

"...dives deeply into the plights of Generation Z's young Black females. Ebony

"In nine chapters, Holt breaks down the tricky existence faced by Black millennial women taking advice from their Baby Boomerand Gen X predecessors who are trailblazing new paths for young Black women." Dallas Observer

"Brianna Holt astutely observes that 'some people feel a great discomfort when Black women advocate for their well-being, share the harm others have caused them, or even express their joy.' In Our Shoes is a gorgeous, bold refutation of our white supremacist overcultures insistence that Black women are a homogenous lot. Her book is also a tender love letter to Black womanhood itself.Sara Benincasa, actress and author of Real Artists Have Day Jobs

Author Bio

Brianna Holt is an author, writer, and reporter living in New York City. She mostly writes about music, identity, and culture. Brianna's writing has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, GQ, The Cut, The Atlantic, Complex, and more, including her own column, Active Voice, through Medium's GEN. She has worked as a staff writer and editor at BuzzFeed, Quartz, The Daily Dot, and Verizon Media's In The Know. In Our Shoes is her first book.