Rock My Soul

Black People and Self-Esteem

bell hooks

• Publisher: Atria Books
• Year: 2003
• Print ISBN:
  9780743456067
• eBook ISBN:
  9780743457774
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Social Psychology
• Index: Social Sciences

From the late feminist icon and New York Times bestselling author of All About Love, an in-depth look at one of the most critical issues facing Black Americans: a collective wounded self-esteem that has prevailed from slavery to the present day, with a new introduction by Tressie McMillan Cottom, author of Thick.

Why do so many Black Americans—whether privileged or poor, urban or suburban, young or old—live in a state of chronic anxiety, fear, and shame? Rock My Soul: Black People and Self-Esteem breaks through collective denial and dares to imagine a more liberatory framework for understanding “self and identity in a world where loss is commonplace.”

With visionary insight, hooks exposes the underlying reality that it has been difficult—if not impossible—for our nation to create a culture that promotes and sustains healthy self-esteem. Without self-esteem people begin to lose their sense of agency. They feel powerless. But it is never too late for any of us to acquire the healthy self-esteem that is needed for a fulfilling life.

While originally written in 2002, hooks’ insights into the heart and soul of the Black American identity crisis continue to ring true. Through history, pop culture criticism, and hard-won wisdom, hooks writes about what it takes to heal the scars of the past, promote and maintain self-esteem, and lay down the roots for a truly grounded sense of community and collectivity.

Moving beyond the ways historical racial justice movements have failed, hooks also identifies diverse psychological barriers and collective traumas keeping us from well-being. In highlighting the roles of desegregation, education, the absence of progressive parenting, spiritual crisis, or fundamental breakdowns in communication between Black women and men, bell hooks identifies mental health as a revolutionary frontier—and provides guidance for healing within the Black community.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Epigraph
• Preface: The Inside Part: Self-Esteem Today
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Healing Wounded Hearts
• Chapter 2: Lasting Trauma
• Chapter 3: Ending the Shame That Binds
• Chapter 4: Living with Integrity
• Chapter 5: Refusing to Be a Victim
• Chapter 6: Thinking Critically
• Chapter 7: Teaching Values
• Chapter 8: Spiritual Redemption
• Chapter 9: Searching at the Source
• Chapter 10: Easing the Pain: Addiction
• Chapter 11: Inner Wounds: Abuse and Abandonment
• Chapter 12: Tearing Out the Root: Self-Hatred
• Chapter 13: Seeking Salvation
• Chapter 14: A Revolution of Values
• Chapter 15: Recovery: A Labor of Love
• Chapter 16: Restoring Our Souls
• About the Authors
• Copyright