Book review: The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
“Radical self-love is an internal process offering external transformation.”
Activist and poet Sonya Renee Taylor says, “The key to getting out of a maze is remembering the way you got in.” This book addresses the many ways body shame is absorbed and becomes inherited. However, it doesn’t just leave you there. It offers both an invitation and a toolkit to dismantle that shame.
As Taylor says at the start, this book is not about improving your self-esteem or self-confidence. Rather, it guides you through a process of examining the blaring messages of shame you have overtly or covertly ingested and offers “radical self-love as the balm to heal the wounds.”
Throughout the chapters, there are thirty-one “Unapologetic Inquiry” questions to ask yourself. Questions like:
“In what ways have you been asked to apologize for your body?”
“Radical Reflections” are also sprinkled through out the book to consider, for instance: “Self-deprecation is valued as a sign of wit in today’s culture…”
These inquiries and reflections are intended to guide you through the material and the journey within yourself to —
Make peace with your body and the bodies of others.
As a long time nurse and educator, I have found body shame to be one of the most problematic issues for women in their ability to express, experience and enjoy their sexuality. When we hate our bodies and when we feel shame around our bodies, we can be hard pressed to enjoy sex.
The Body is Not an Apology is a powerful resource to get you started on the path to radical self-love.
Note: This blog includes affiliate links from Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn money from actions readers take on these links, such as a click or purchase. However, this is a book that I recommend fully and have purchased myself.
