June Book Club: The Body Is Not An Apology
If you know me, you know how much I love books (reading them, buying them, talking about them, wandering amongst them at any used book store I can find.) Book Club is a monthly post about a book I’ve read–and recommend–because books can be one of our greatest therapeutic tools.
The Body Is Not An Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love is written by Sonya Renee Taylor, activist, poet, and founder of the organization by the same name.
“I think I’ll like this,” I thought when I finally started reading it, after months on my list.
“I think that was an understatement,” I thought, as I resisted the urge to highlight every other line.
We all hold narratives about ourselves, but some of these were given to us by society and don’t really match what we value or know to be true. As Taylor writes, these narratives get in the way of our ability to access our own radical self-love, a quality inherent within us. Taylor believes that in changing our relationship to our whole selves, including our bodies, we can use that radical self-love to revolutionize our world.
Who’s this book for? This book, and Taylor’s work in general, is for those who are interested in exploring the idea of radical self-love as a means to change their relationship to themselves and to society as a whole. It’s particularly poignant for those in bodies ostracized or oppressed by society, due to race, size, disability, gender, etc. Taylor also has a workbook by the same name for those who want to dive deeper!
What this book is not: This is not a book about gaining self-confidence or self-esteem (a common misunderstanding; Taylor addresses it in the first chapter!)
Favorite part: This book is filled with “unapologetic inquiries” that require us to ask the difficult questions of ourselves. I love a book that encourages you to engage, to think critically, and to turn those thoughts into action.
“Radical self-love is not a destination you are trying to get to; it is who you already are, and it is already working tirelessly to guide your life.”
