Sonya Renee Taylor

Best for:
Those open to reconsidering the ways they view themselves and others.

In a nutshell:
Author Sonya Renee Taylor offers up the idea that society’s ills are based on hatred of bodies that deviate from ‘the norm,’ and that by moving beyond self-acceptance to self-love, we will be able to create “a world that works for every body.”

Worth quoting:
“Our societies have defined what is considered a ‘normal’ body and have assigned greater value, resources, and opportunities to show more the bodies most closely aligned with those ideas of ‘normal.’”

Why I chose it:
A friend directed by to Ms Taylor’s Instagram account, where she often posts videos. I saw she had a book and wanted to check it out.

Review:
Ms Taylor’s premise is that we need to stop judging bodies, not simply as a way to accept and love ourselves, but to literally change the world. Throughout this relatively short book stuffed full of history, sociology, philosophy, and concrete action, Ms Taylor supports her idea that the setting of a default ‘normal’ body and the resulting judgment of bodies that deviate from that norm is what causes harm. She provides opportunities for reflection on how the reader has developed their relationship with their own body, as well as how that in turn influences how they interact with others in the world.

She starts by laying out the concept of radical self-love, then moves onto the history of body shame that propels so many of us to apologize for our bodies - size, gender, ability, neurodiversity, race, etc. - followed by ways to build radical self-love when the world around us pushes just the opposite. Ms Taylor then takes us through the idea of implicit bias and need to remain aware of the ways we continue to judge ourselves and other bodies, and finishes it up with a very practical toolkit.

I love this book. Ms Taylor’s way of writing is accessible and fun. I want all of us to read it and to really think about what it would mean if we were to implement the concepts within it.

Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Keep it show less

I had a reading challenge prompt for Black Joy, and I walked into my local bookstore saying HELP, I NEED A REC, NONE OF THE BLACK BOOKS ON MY TBR CURRENTLY HAVE ENOUGH JOY, and they pointed me at this book and I purchased it immediately.

I ended up loving it (of course!) Especially the challenge questions at the end — which were good opportunities to examine what bullshit I have mostly unlearned and where the Big Work is still to be done. Taylor's writing embraces joy while also making show more clear there is real challenge in the work. I will be ruminating on this one for a while. show less

It will come as a surprise to most who know me since I love to talk/read about self-improvement...but I do not usually make it through "self-help" type books...books that require introspection and then offer guidance. I often put them down thinking, "Eh...this could have been a TED talk or a long article on Medium, it didn't need to be an entire book."

THIS ONE NEEDED TO BE A BOOK. I underlined, starred, hearted, and tabbed my copy of this book like it's my handbook for life...and it kinda is show more now. I really really loved this book and felt like it helped me put into words a lot of my struggles on the path to radical self love and helped me define some of the roadblocks and find paths around them. If you struggle with self-hatred or body shame - this book might just rock your world like it did mine. show less

I LOVED this workbook! Not only are the illustrations beautiful and so amazingly body-positive, but it's extremely helpful. I love the fact that I can pick up this book and actually do something productive, an excercise that feels as though I'm doing something constructive.

The phrase "body terrorism" really resonated for me and is something I'm going to be exploring further. we live in a world that is quite the opposite of the voice I hear when I read this book. It's refreshing and I learned show more a great deal. Media is everywhere and this book really highlighted for me how prevalent it was in my life. I knew it on one level but this book asked me some pointed questions that had me really taking a look at what media I consume.

Something I will definitely be incorporating into my daily life was the "character traits to complement" section! What a remarkably easy yet significant thing to do!

Thanks for this! Anyone would benefit from making their way through this workbook! Bravo! show less