Sisters Of The Yam Analysis

By writing Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery Bell Hooks gave black women a chance to relate to one another on issues that we are often afraid to express. In PSC 318 we often discussed the stigma of being a “strong black woman” and the negative aspects of that stigma. In my eyes thee is nothing negative about being strong and there is surely nothing negative about being a black woman. But, as a black woman we are looked at providers, caregivers, mentors, mother figures, a shoulder to lean on and much more. Bell Hooks touches on the touchy subject in the black community and that is mental health. Often times as black people we worry about physical health and spiritual health, in the black community our answer to everything and anything going wrong in our lives is to pray about it. Yes, God can heal and help us but Bell Hooks tells us in writing Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery that we need to take care of our mental health as well as pray. Black women rarely go to therapist to talk about their problems because they are so worried about helping everyone else handle their problems.

Another important issue that Bell Hooks touches on in Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery is the pressing issue of addressing HIV/AIDS in the black community.

Often times in the black community we like to avoid talking about topics that effect us because of the fear of “scaring the community”. Hooks shows the readers of Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery that we shouldn’t be worried about scaring the community and we need to inform the community to prevent them from being ignorant of the issues that are prevelant in the black community. This book allowed me to open my eyes to the issues that all African American women are facing on a day-to-day

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Analytical Book-Review
The book that I am analyzing and reviewing is Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery written Bell Hooks. This is a self-help and mental stability book for African American women. Bell Hooks gives black women a new prospective on the challenged they may face and she shows them that all black women, if not most are going through the same challenges or they once went through these challenges and have recovered from them. As black women we are always looked at to be strong and carry ourselves as well as supports our families, friends and anyone else who may need us at that time. Bell Hooks shows black women that it is okay to be “weak” and ask for help because at some point in ones life everyone needs help from someone.
Bell Hooks also touches on the stigma that black women have to only run to the church when there is an issue and often in the black community looking for help outside of the church is looked at unnecessary. Hooks talks about how in the black community we look to God for everything, which is not a bad thing at all. But in order to have a good relationship with God we must be mentally stable because God can only help us if we are willingly to help ourselves along the way. I think this was one of the most important issues that she addresses in this book because I know that many African American women who have been to counselors but they stopped going because they felt that they were betraying God by not just praying and sticking with him at all times. We, as African American women, all need someone to lean on and talk to about our issues and problems and Hooks shows us that there is no problem in seeking help from a counselor or therapist.
Another important issue that Hooks talks about is the “dominant and controlling” stigmas that have been placed on African American women. African American women are often referred to as the B-word because of their demeanor. Black women are not respected initially by their peers so they must demand respect by voicing their opinion and making a name for themselves, unfortunately when black women do that, they become the victims of criticisms from both black men and, white men and women. According to most people, white males, white women, and some Black men, Black women are supposed to be quiet, timid, and submissive. But at some point black women have gotten tired of always been stepping on by their white counterparts as well as Black men because of being timid. But, when black women starting demanding respect Hooks points out that people started to get scared and that is where the term the “Angry Black woman” came from. Hooks talks about the stereotypes that are now displayed in movies and television shows that show black women as angry and uptight about everything. No, not all Black women are angry but many Black women are feed up with being treated poorly because they are women and on top of that they are black women. Hooks applauds the “angry Black woman” for having the courage to stand up and not bow down to the men and women who think less of them.
Another important issue that is discussed in Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery written by Bell Hooks is the importance of discussing safe sex and HIV/AIDS among young Black women. Often times in the Black community we choose to push away from discussing issues such as safe sex and HIV/AIDS. Hooks talks about the importance of educating young black women between the ages of 17-25 on this topic because they are the ones who are practicing sex the most, but they are also the ones who know the least about protection and the diseases that can come from having sex. Hooks points out an idea of educating black college women about this pressing issue. I think that is a great idea because I know at Spelman College we tend to push far away from this topic at all times. At Spelman College we often times like to pretend that these types of issues are not prevalent on our campus and therefore we are robbing the students at Spelman the oportunity to receive the proper education on this topic. Hooks explains that it is a “touchy” topic to discuss because of the severity, but if older Black women do not come together to educate the younger Black women on this topic we are all going to be in the dark about the topic and we will all pretend that this issue does not matter and that it is not effecting us.
The final and most important thing that Bell Hooks talks about in Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery is self-esteem and self-love among Black women in the black community. Young Black girls suffer from very low self-esteem and self-love. Often times young Black girls do not have mentors or leaders who can teach them the importance of self-love and high self-esteem. From a young age Black women perceive themselves to be less than as compared to the white children because of the texture of their hair, the way they dress, the way they look, etc. But Hooks talks about teaching young Black women from a young age that they are beautiful, and even though they might not believe it at that moment they still have a sense of beauty in them that society often takes away from them. In society Black women are often torn apart in the media because of their physical appearance and because of the media they are in result heavily influences young Black women influenced by the perception of beauty that the media has on young Black women. Hooks simply ask that Black women come together to motivate and cheer on other black women, so that we can all strive together.
While reading the book Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery written by Bell Hooks I noticed that she was trying to communicate to Black women the importance of knowing your self-worth. I think she very clearly got her message across by speaking about the issues that black women face in today’s society. I think this was a very intriguing book that gave a new prospective to the struggles that African American women endure daily. She was able to be honest and truthful in the book, but at the same time she did not try to give Black women a self-pitty party for themselves she simply showed the struggles that we often endure.
While looking at reviews most of them are written in a very positive light. Many people, especially black women, say that it is one of the most importance books ever written for African American women. One of the strengths that someone listed said that after reading the book they no longer felt alone in the world and it was good to know that all black women go through some the same things. Some of the weaknesses were that they feel that Hooks generalized African American women and saying that she didn’t realize that all African American women don’t go through the same things. There aren’t very many criticisms to this book because many of the women who have read this book and wrote reviews on it have gone through the things that she speaks about in her book.
I was however able to find one criticism of the book that I found to be interesting, it was written by Jenny Yates and it reads; “This is a wise and informative book for women, although it is especially directed towards African-American women. It doesn’t preach or gush, but feels more like a woman sitting across the kitchen table from you, talking about the things she’s learned which is what I felt was a bit unprofessional. Although I’m not Black, I am female, and I was quite inspired. And at the same time I also felt that I learned more about what it means to be a Black woman in the US. One thing that moved me was the description of the spiritual and emotional healing that happened in older Black communities, and how people often lost those connections when they moved into cities.” In this review Mr. Yates speaks about not being able to relate to the issues that were written in the book and not be harsh that is like a typical white man to be upset about not being able to relate to Black women even though it was not meant for them to relate. I do no think this is a valid criticism because Mr. Yates will not ever be able to relate to the issues that Black women face, because he is not a black women. This is exactly what Bell Hooks discusses in her book when she says black women are criticized for being themselves, Hooks did not write this book so that every white man in America could relate to it, she wrote it so that Black women can know that there are issues that we all face and that we can all overcome.
On the other hand I was able to find a lot of positive reviews for the book and most the positive reviews came from Black women. Women who wrote the reviews all wrote about the importance of coming together as black women and discussing the issues that are pressing and that we face together that no one else understands. Many of the reviews said, “It was an excellent book!” and “Finally a book that talks about the pressing and taboo issues that us as Black women aren’t able to get out and talk about because of the notion of being looked at a weak women”. As I stated before Black women needed this book because it spoke on the issues of the stigmas of black women, HIV/AIDS, growing up too fast for young Black women, mental health, and spiritual wellness.
Overall, this was an excellence book and I would recommend it to other Black women to get prospectives about issues that Black women think they only go through alone. Bell Hooks did a great job on writing Sisters of the Yam: Black Women and Self-Recovery.