Publishers Weekly
08/29/2022
Journalist Ryan (The Presidency in Black and White) mixes memoir and history in this passionate look at how Black women leaders combat racism and sexism in “a world that wasn’t built for them but needs them more than ever.” Praising a litany of “sheroes” for their leadership, sacrifices, and commitment, Ryan notes that three Black women—Vice President Kamala Harris, Supreme Court justice Ketanji Brown-Jackson, and White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre—currently hold positions at the highest levels of government. Ryan also reflects on Black women’s strength as a crucial but unacknowledged building block for American democracy; details grassroots efforts to combat “micro- and macro-aggressions inside and outside the home”; reflects on her own battles against sexism and racism as a single mother and the only Black woman in the White House press corps until 2018; and profiles historical figures (abolitionist Harriet Tubman; presidential candidate Shirley Chisholm) and contemporary leaders (gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams; California congresswoman Maxine Waters). At times, Ryan’s prose reaches a prayer-meeting fervency, extolling Black women as “truth-tellers” who “mobilize the conscience of a country that is too slow to act on what’s right.” Forceful and inspired, this is a rousing praise song for strong Black women. Agent: Peter McGuigan, Ultra Literary. (Oct.)
From the Publisher
"Forceful and inspired, this is a rousing praise song for strong Black women." — Publishers Weekly
"An impassioned celebration of Black women and their roles in transforming the nation." — Kirkus Reviews
Library Journal
★ 09/23/2022
Veteran journalist Ryan (The Presidency in Black and White) combines a memoir of her recent experiences as a Black woman in the White House Press Corps and a stirring tribute to the sacrifices and triumphs of other leading Black "sheroes." Ryan chronicles the rise of several Black women political leaders in the United States, including Shirley Chisholm, Stacey Abrams, Keisha Lance Bottoms, and Kamala Harris. She looks at their work on issues of justice and fairness and stresses their struggles to overcome invisibility and erasure in today's political arena. She also focuses on the sacrifices paid by Black women when faced by bias and discrimination, based on both gender and race; she presents this issue as an ongoing individual, collective, and structural struggle. Ryan also discusses the mistreatment that she herself has endured as a journalist and the negative effects of ongoing microaggressions directed towards her and other Black women leaders. Finally, the book sets out ways to advance civil rights in the United States and includes extensive footnotes. Ryan's text speaks volumes about Black women's crucial roles as leaders, truth tellers, and unsung heroes for justice in the United States. VERDICT An informative, inspirational work by a leading political journalist; an essential purchase for public and academic libraries.—Theresa Muraski
Kirkus Reviews
2022-07-26
A veteran journalist honors the contributions of Black women in America.
In this “anthem” or “love letter,” Ryan, the Washington, D.C., bureau chief for the Grio, combines an account of her struggles and triumphs as a person of color with a survey of representative Black women who epitomize “our history, our heroism, our hurt, and our Hope.” First, the author looks at the characteristics and motivations of Black leadership; second, the intersection of race and gender as they play out in the efforts of Black women to claim agency in social and political spheres; and finally, speculations on the coming ascendancy of such women in positions of power. Though she moves fluidly across eras, Ryan focuses primarily on her role as a top White House correspondent during the Trump era and her reporting of—and sometimes personal involvement in—a range of stories prompted by his incendiary reign. Among the most memorable sections of the book are her response to the White supremacist terrorist attack in Charlottesville and her own often caustic exchanges with Trump and his representatives during press conferences. Ryan is particularly effective in evocatively setting forth the terms of her calling as a journalist. She argues convincingly that her career has been dedicated to posing questions too often slighted or silenced: “Questions about civil rights. Policing. Migration. Sex trafficking. Poverty. Fairness and equality before the law.” Also cogent are her accounts of recent efforts at voter suppression and the resistance being organized by formidably committed activists. A little more nuance might have been helpful in the author’s assessments of the status of a leader such as Kamala Harris, whose reputation among Black voters seems more complicated than Ryan implies. Overall, though, the author offers compelling commentary on the significance of Black women in contemporary America.
An impassioned celebration of Black women and their roles in transforming the nation.
