This Will Be My Undoing: Essential Reading

I first heard of Morgan Jerkins in the spring of 2016 from one of Morgan's friends during her time at Princeton, who happened to be in my small group for church. I was immediately interested in her subject matter and her upcoming book. Two years later, it had slipped my mind, but when I saw it on the shelves at Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee I immediately purchased it and began reading. This is one of the most important books I've read recently, and I recommend it to everyone.

Jerkins' essay collection, This Will Be My Undoing, tells about her experiences as a black woman in America at the intersection of the feminist movement and race. She opens with a story of trying out to be a cheerleader at ten-years-old and not making the all-white squad. Jerkins shares that at ten she believed she needed to conform to white expectations and align herself with white friends and white culture. Her experience with the cheerleader try-outs kick-started her journey to loving her blackness, a journey that was riddled with pain, joy and self discovery.

She covers topics like sexuality, violence, drugs and romance with profound insight and brutal honesty that forces the reader to really consider the black woman and her experience in America.

As a white reader, I recognize that parts of Jerkins' writing is scathing towards white America. However, I believe it is in difficult and uncomfortable moments that we are able to grow and find compassion and understanding. I couldn't put this book down, and would have read it in one sitting if I had had the time. Jerkins' words were so striking that they reverberate in my mind throughout my day, although the book is at home on my nightstand. I found myself underlining and highlighting, soaking up as much as I could from her experiences because they are so important. 

I consider this essay collection essential reading, particularly for anyone interested in social justice or improving the human experience, particularly for minority groups. It is my hope that that description encompasses all readers. We read for pleasure, we read for escape - but sometimes we must read to learn, to grow, and to better our world. It's easy to turn a blind-eye to the experience of others and to only see through the lens of our own race, gender, and position in society. Jerkins offers an incredible opportunity to see the world through her own lens, and it's not an opportunity to be missed.