when they call you a terrorist a black lives matter memoir by patrisse khan-cullors and asha bandele
when they call you a terrorist
a black lives matter memoir
by patrisse khan-cullors and asha bandele
with a foreword by angela davis:
a review
Scheduled Release Date: January 16th, 2018
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS A REVIEW WRITTEN UPON THE UNCORRECTED PROOF EDITION NOT THE FINAL EDITED EDITION
WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!
Summary
From one of the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement comes a powerful poetic memoir and reflection on humanity. Necessary and timely, Patrisse Khan-Cullors’ story asks us to remember that protest in the interest of the most vulnerable comes from love.
Leaders of the Black Lives Matter movement have been called terrorists, a threat to America. But in truth, they are loving women whose life experiences have led them to seek justice for those victimized by the powerful. In this meaningful, empowering account of survival, strength and resilience, Patrisse Khan-Cullors and asha bandele seek to change the culture that declares innocent black life expendable.
“Not only are we in the universe, but that the universe is in us. He is saying that we, human beings, are literally made out of stardust.”
~when they call you a terrorist
This book leaves an impact on you from the first word to the closing of the back cover.
“When they call you a terrorist” is written absolutely beautifully and pulls you in with just one look at the cover.
“Unpatriotic”
“Criminals”
“TERRORISTS”
“But what they call me is not what I am.”
“I am Patrisse Khan-Cullors, one of the three women who founded black lives matter. I am a survivor.”
This is not a book that you want to forget. It will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. I finished this book very quickly. I picked it up and I couldn’t stop reading it, so I ended up finishing it that very day.
The writing is easy to read, and makes the book easy to finish. The writing is beautiful, her own style of writing and facts about unspoken problems in the world today, this book will make an impact on you.
Patrisse Khan-Cullors’ story is not one that should fade, neither should so many others.
Her mother was disowned by her family due to being pregnant when she was a teenager, so she learned how to provide for herself and her family. Her mom had to work multiple jobs at a time, she worked 16 hours a day, just to put food on the table and to put clothes on their backs.
They grew up in a neighborhood where kids were pushed against a wall, shoved to the ground just for standing and laughing with their friends.
This life is not easy. It is far beyond easy.
This book is heartbreaking and beautiful. It teaches the lesson that, even with a haunting past, you are the one to write your future and everything that comes after that.
“When They Call You a Terrorist,” inspired me. I learned that you cannot give up, even when times are rough, even if it seems like giving up is the only viable option.
This is a wonderfully written story about the life of Patrisse Khan-Cullors, and as you read it, don’t be afraid when you feel you’ve suddenly opened a door to knowledge.
As she got older, she discovered new things, and her family wasn’t exactly the easiest to live with. Her brother was imprisoned and instead of helping him, he was given an excessive amount of drugs, to the point where he could not string sentences together.
But she had her friends by her side, helping her and loving her through it all.
This book is heartbreaking and beautiful. It teaches the lesson that, even with a haunting past, you are the one to write your future and everything that comes after that.
“When They Call You a Terrorist,” inspired me. I learned that you cannot give up, even when times are rough, even if it seems like giving up is the only viable option.
This is a wonderfully written story about the life of Patrisse Khan-Cullors, and as you read it, don’t be afraid when you feel you’ve suddenly opened a door to knowledge.
As she got older, she discovered new things, and her family wasn’t exactly the easiest to live with. Her brother was imprisoned and instead of helping him, he was given an excessive amount of drugs, to the point where he could not string sentences together.
But she had her friends by her side, helping her and loving her through it all.
This memoir is beautiful and I love it, I loved it since the very first page. The wonderful writing and everything that this book contains has changed the way I view things. I happily give this book five out of five stars. This book will leave an impact on you, in one way or another.
There were times when I cried, there were times when I became angry. But instead of just being angry, I realized that we needed to stand up and fight for ourselves, if the people that have a major political impact will not acknowledge the faults in our world today.
We wipe our tears and pull each other up from the darkness. We take our heavily weighing past and we turn them into wings we use to soar. Ultimately, what you’ve gone through and how you reacted to these situations makes a part of who you are.
Sources:
--Any quotations provided in this review are from the uncorrected proof edition of this book, and may not be in the final and published edition\
--Summary found on Google Books
https://books.google.com/books/about/When_They_Call_You_a_Terrorist.html?id=ao42DwAAQBAJ&hl=en
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Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Macmillan for sending me this wonderful book!