Book description
World-renowned scholar and visionary bell hooks takes an in-depth look
at one of the most critical issues of our time, the impact of low
self-esteem on the lives of black people.
Without self-esteem everyone loses his or her sense of meaning,
purpose, and power. For too long, African Americans in particular have
been unable to openly and honestly address the crisis of self-esteem
and how it affects the way they perceive themselves and are perceived
by others.
In her most challenging and provocative book to date, bell hooks
gives voice to what many black people have thought and felt, but
seldom articulated. She offers readers a clear, passionate examination
of the role self-esteem plays in the African-American experience in
determining whether individuals or groups succeed or self-sabotage.
She considers the reasons why even among "the best and
brightest" students at Ivy League institutions "there were
young men and women beset by deep feelings of unworthiness, of
ugliness inside and outside."
She listened to the stories of her students and her peers -- baby
boomers who had excelled -- and heard the same sentiments, including
deep feelings of inadequacy. With critical insight, hooks exposes the
underlying truth behind the crisis: it has been extremely difficult to
create a culture that promotes and sustains a healthy sense of
self-esteem in African-American communities. With true brilliance, she
rigorously examines and identifies the barriers -- political and
cultural -- that keep African Americans from emotional well-being. She
looks at historical movements as well as parenting and how we make and
sustain community. She discusses the revolutionary role preventative
mental health care can play in promoting and maintaining self-esteem.
Blending keen intellectual insight and practical wisdom, Rock My
Soul provides a blueprint for healing a people and a nation.
Maya Angelou Each offering from bell hooks is a major
event, she has so much to give us.
bell hooks is a cultural critic, a feminist
theorist, and the renowned author of more than twenty books. A
charismatic speaker, she divides her time between teaching, writing,
and lecturing around the world. She lives in Kentucky and New York
City.
