Cole Arthur Riley

I am not on social media much these days, so I was unfamiliar with Cole’s work with Black Liturgies before picking up this book. It did not take me long to realize that I was reading the powerful words of a gifted writer. I actually turned to my husband once and said that I felt like I was reading the words of someone who will be thought of as iconic within a couple of decades; who will be included in the lists of the great inspirational wordsmiths that have so influenced the world through show more their writing. The way this woman puts sentences together is breathtaking.

This Here Flesh reads like a reflective memoir of story, place and faith that will leave you pondering the truths shared in Cole’s words. So much of it resonates.

Trigger warnings: rape, drug abuse, violence. Strong language, including the f-word, is also present throughout. show less

Cole Arthur Riley's Black Liturgies is a remarkable work of generosity. It invites us to bring to this generosity to ourselves while we engage in self-examination, not to find fault, but to find the sources of our strengths and weaknesses. This book offers multiple genres: reflections, meditations, poems, question for discussion—with like-minded companions or with one's self.

If you're looking for an affirmative path to come to a loving understanding of yourself, this is a book you will show more want to spend time with.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NatGalley; the opinions are my own. show less

The ruminations and meditations of the author about life in America as a Black person, a woman, and a person who suffers from chronic illness, as well as the lives of her father and grandmother.

The work is very powerfully and compellingly written. As a reviewer I cannot do justice to the raw power and vulnerability of her prose. It is a work to be read and experienced; one feels as if one is receiving power and energy from that vulnerability and the setting forth of the story, and one can show more understand the reason for faith, yet doubt, and yet faith the author experiences.

Go read and experience.

**--galley received as part of early review program. show less

I learned a lot from this book: about how God looks through the eyes of a Black woman who knows her Bible well; about how much I missed about God by only seeing from my perspective; about living a human life among others and how I could love better.

I wish more of my Christian friends would read this so we could talk about it. Also.... it's *beautiful.*