Two other essays that I found most poignant were “Dying to Be Competent” and “Black Girlhood, Interrupted.” These essays are powerfully emotive, as they highlight specific traumas that are prevalent among Black women. And, as Cottom describes, it’s a lot harder said than done – especially when the work that is most praised by publishers and readers is the work that shines a light into our personal lives. As a writer, I continuously strive to step away from writing solely about my lived experience at the intersection of Black and female. Cottom describes this as, “…bleeding our personal lives into the genre afforded to us.”įor me, this part of “Thick” struck a cord and sang a song.

Cottom relays that the entry point for most Black female writers is the personal essay the telling of our stories in a way that is eye-opening yet tolerable for readers who do not live our experiences. Similarly, Black women’s problems are frequently disregarded or minimized – unless we are the ones talking about those problems. The omission of Black women from the societal spotlight is nothing new for centuries the contributions of Black women have been overshadowed, unaccredited, or forgotten. Cottom’s discussion refreshes the idea that Black women have been continuously excluded from public spheres of discussion because we are rarely seen as experts on anything. “Thick” then begins to examine the struggles facing Black women writers. Cottom delivers this so eloquently that I knew this was a book I would finish. It’s a hard thing to articulate, the feeling of never really fitting in, even when, by all appearances, some Black women appear to fit in just fine.

The way she describes this feeling of thickness, a clever metaphor for a world where Black women are meant to occupy as little space as possible, was one I immediately resonated with. “Thick,” the opening essay, draws the reader in with Cottom’s lived experience of feeling too Black, too big, too full of personality, and too thick for the world around her. THICK: and Other Essays is not a light read, but it isn’t academically dense either the eight essays featured are written in such a way that eases the reader into each piece, then lightly begins the process of deeper examination and reflection. Tressie McMillan Cottom’s second book is an intricate collection of raw experiences, thought-provoking questions and intellectual discussions on subjects that revolve around one central theme, Black womanhood. I came across THICK: and Other Essays when I discovered a shortlist on the New York Times entitled, “Five Essay Collections by Women of Color.” Naturally, my interest was immediately piqued.

Thick tressie mcmillan