Zami: A New Spelling of My Name

Reading Audre Lorde in 2017 is both a revelation and a tragedy. A revelation because her writing is fresh, her language incomparable, her ideas transgressive, and her suggestions helpful and full of light. A tragedy because so little has changed since late 1970s-early 1980s for women, for people of color, for the 99-ers, in the school to prison pipeline, in the patterns of privilege, in the violence, in the internalized misogyny and racism. Audre Lorde was, truly, as great and passionate a critic of modernity as James Baldwin, and I sincerely hope that she gets the audience, too, albeit posthumously.
What a great woman!

Audre Lorde was timeless… She wrote about the things we rarely talk about but should. The things we try to smother with fake smiles and conversation void of substance. I applaud her bravery, because she’s paved the way for other women in her very shoes to write about what they fear, and what makes them angry. Her words reverberate and nudge you out of your comfort zone. Great, great book.

4.5 A work I’m glad to have read in its entirety, after only having read selected essays. “The Uses of Anger”, “Uses of the Erotic”, “Poetry is Not a Luxury” (esp for me, so alienated from poetry) in particular will stay with me for a long time. Sad to see how so many of these issues, especially regarding the relationship between white women and black women, have seemingly not progressed one bit.

Review

Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde

Audre Lorde was a fierce feminist poet. Not fitting neatly into any minority group, she is a force to reckon with. She leaves behind a legacy, priceless but valuable lessons in her essays and poetry. Sister Outsider proved she stood her ground and fought with eloquence, addressing sexism, racism, ageism, homophobia, social differences and classism. She left us hopeful, that we can achieve what she and others before her fought and even died for. We are our sisters keeper.

I was surprised and pleased that this book came with a different cover than the green one with the line drawing – mine has a portrait of Lorde which is beautiful. Regarding the content, these essays slapped me in the face. I have read very little feminist thought and this was a wake up call that I need to educate myself more on that front. I loved Lorde’s writing style, her astute observations, and I plan to read more from her in the future.

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