Status
Checked out
Publication
Algonquin Books (2015), 336 pages
Description
In this collection of essays, women talk about their hair-- and in doing so, offer up reflections and revelations about family, race, religion, ritual, culture, motherhood, politics, and celebrity. Layered into these essays you'll find surprises, insights, hilarity, and the resonance of common experience. Many things in life matter more than hair, but few bring as much pleasure as a really great hairdo.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Devlindusty
A great literary history of different women and their hair. You have curly hair, wavy hair, straight hair, thick hair, fine hair. And this book basically looks at our obsession with our hair and how it affects our lives. I had a great time reading this book as I am constantly challenged by my own
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naturally curly hair! Show Less
LibraryThing member minacee
This book of essays was lively, fun, and conversational in tone. If you are looking for a book about hair in a scholarly cultural studies type way you might want to look elsewhere. A few of the essays touch on themes of race or the different cultural or religious significance of hair but overall
This book came out last summer (I just received my copy this month after it was MIA for Early Readers) and it's an easy read perfect for the beach or a plane ride.
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it's a round table of women talking. Most of them are talking about how frustrating their hair is it so it can get a bit repetitive.This book came out last summer (I just received my copy this month after it was MIA for Early Readers) and it's an easy read perfect for the beach or a plane ride.
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LibraryThing member lmikkel
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I don't know if I would rate hair as a universal obsession but I do know hair is a topic that everyone has considered, even if only to decide never to think about it again! My own relationship with my hair falls somewhere in the middle but I was entertained by the
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different viewpoints expressed in these essays and would have happily read more. Show Less
LibraryThing member Watry
I closed this book less than five minutes ago, and all I can think is, "Geez, I'm glad I've never hated my hair that much". I was most interested in the essays that talk about the relation between hair and culture or race, rather than the ones about family or age or illness.
LibraryThing member oddandbookish
I received this book for free through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers.
I enjoyed this collection of essays about women and their hair. This is actually a really interesting topic, because if you think about it, hair plays a big role in women's lives. I thought it started off really strong, but the
I enjoyed this collection of essays about women and their hair. This is actually a really interesting topic, because if you think about it, hair plays a big role in women's lives. I thought it started off really strong, but the
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essays got a bit weaker towards the end. Overall, a solid collection. Show Less
LibraryThing member cattriona
This collection of essays started off great -- women talking about hair from the perspective of different cultures and ethnic arenas, even pubic hair wasn't left out. But as the book went on, the stories started sounding more and more the same -- moms fighting with their daughters over hair, the
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search for a good stylist, the wonders of a good cut/style, etc. So, a strong start but somewhat weak finish leaves me giving this a mediocre review. Show Less
LibraryThing member SqueakyChu
This is a surprisingly good collection of essays by many talented women writers focusing on the topic of women's hair. The hair products industry is huge in size and monetary value. It seems that this stems from a woman's desire to mostly do to her hair what her own hair won't do naturally. This
I can certainly attest to the fact that, as my own hair changed throughout my life, I always seemed to want exactly the opposite of what I had. It is so much easier to go with what one is given by nature. The women in this collection write about this with much humor, at times making me laugh out loud with recognition of myself in their essays.
This is a light, fun, and worthwhile read for anyone who has ever made the least fuss about her own hair. As for men, do give these essays a read to see what women have to deal with!
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problem varies with hair texture, hair color, hair characteristics, a woman's age, a woman's health, current hair styles, and a woman's idea of what attractive hair should look like. I can certainly attest to the fact that, as my own hair changed throughout my life, I always seemed to want exactly the opposite of what I had. It is so much easier to go with what one is given by nature. The women in this collection write about this with much humor, at times making me laugh out loud with recognition of myself in their essays.
This is a light, fun, and worthwhile read for anyone who has ever made the least fuss about her own hair. As for men, do give these essays a read to see what women have to deal with!
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LibraryThing member EllieNYC
Me, My Hair, and I is a collection of short musings on a variety of women's relationship to their hair. Certainly for me hair and its meaning/s have been a significant part of my life. From my childhood battles with my mother over its length to my 70s long, unstyled hair to my adjustment to the
Apparently I'm not alone. These short musings and memories tell of how women glory in, despair over, and come to terms with their hair. Many of the recollections have to do with their hair and their relationships with the mothers or other family members. Many have to do with larger issues of self-acceptance. Some deal with the ramifications of hair and race in our society.
This collection is probably best read over time. While I found all of the individual stories interesting, reading it in a short time was a lot of time spent on hair. However, the advantage of reading it in a brief period of time was the cumulative effect of how much hair matters to women (or many women, anyway) and to how we are viewed by others-women as well as men. "Good" hair means acceptance, popularity, success, while "bad" hair means feeling like an outsider. And how good and bad are decided has a lot to do with race and the values held by society.
So hair and the obsession with it is both individual and societal. It affects so many aspect of a woman's life, how she is viewed by others and, in turn, how that gets internalized as part of her self-image. And how coming to terms with her hair can liberate a woman in many ways, energize her and increase her self-esteem exponentially.
I found these reminiscences to be consistently well-written and engaging, and often moving and thought-provoking as well.
My thanks to LibraryThing for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.
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changes age has wrought, my relationship to hair has in many ways, at different times in my life, defined the way I viewed myself, my body and my place in the world.Apparently I'm not alone. These short musings and memories tell of how women glory in, despair over, and come to terms with their hair. Many of the recollections have to do with their hair and their relationships with the mothers or other family members. Many have to do with larger issues of self-acceptance. Some deal with the ramifications of hair and race in our society.
This collection is probably best read over time. While I found all of the individual stories interesting, reading it in a short time was a lot of time spent on hair. However, the advantage of reading it in a brief period of time was the cumulative effect of how much hair matters to women (or many women, anyway) and to how we are viewed by others-women as well as men. "Good" hair means acceptance, popularity, success, while "bad" hair means feeling like an outsider. And how good and bad are decided has a lot to do with race and the values held by society.
So hair and the obsession with it is both individual and societal. It affects so many aspect of a woman's life, how she is viewed by others and, in turn, how that gets internalized as part of her self-image. And how coming to terms with her hair can liberate a woman in many ways, energize her and increase her self-esteem exponentially.
I found these reminiscences to be consistently well-written and engaging, and often moving and thought-provoking as well.
My thanks to LibraryThing for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.
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LibraryThing member HeatherMS
As a woman who has had a hate relationship with my hair since I can remember, I was interested in reading this book - to see if I was alone in my hate relationship or if there were others like me. This book confirms it: there are others like me. This book is a series of essays from woman and their
If you are someone to likes to read different perspectives on a subject, you will enjoy this book. If you are someone who has had a tremulous relationship with your hair, you will enjoy this book. If you are someone who has great hair and has always loved it, this book may confuse you.
***I received this book through Librarything Member Giveaway. The review is solely my own.***
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relationship with their hair... from very curly, to thin, and everything in between. The essays convey how their hair has affected their lives - it may seem trivial, but it isn't. If you are someone to likes to read different perspectives on a subject, you will enjoy this book. If you are someone who has had a tremulous relationship with your hair, you will enjoy this book. If you are someone who has great hair and has always loved it, this book may confuse you.
***I received this book through Librarything Member Giveaway. The review is solely my own.***
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LibraryThing member BookDivasReads
Short hair vs. long hair, curly hair vs. straight hair, dyed hair vs. graying hair, good hair vs. bad hair, covered vs. uncovered hair, and the loss of hair, all are discussed in these essays about women and hair. Some of the essays made me smile, a few made me laugh, and a few made me sad. All
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made me ponder the wondrous and torturous relationship women have with their hair. Show Less
LibraryThing member lisan.
This was ok, but I got very bored reading about women talking about their hair complaints (who knew this would be boring to me?) and I wanted more from these essays. The essay by Bharati Mukherjee was the closest this book came to giving me the insights I wanted. Her descriptions of her mother
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brushing and massaging her hair were lovely, and was something I wanted from the other writers. Show Less
LibraryThing member yukon92
I received a copy of this book from the Early Reviewer site.... I was highly disappointed in the whole book. There were a few individual stories about the women and their hair that were interesting to read, but mostly it seemed like a collection of scholarly (and some times embarrassing) articles
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about hair that the author just collected and published. Show Less
LibraryThing member khiemstra631
Twenty-seven women, mostly authors, contributed essays to this volume from Algonquin Publishing that was edited by Elizabeth Benedict. Ms. Benedict also wrote the volume's final essay. One common theme emerged from many of the writers no matter what their native cultures: their mothers did not like
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their hair. And, an equal number of them did not like their hair once they reached adulthood. The women took numerous courses of action to deal with their hair, ranging from dreadlocks to acceptance. All in all, I found this to be an enjoyable read, having survived multiple hair skirmishes with my own mother during the first two decades of my life. Show Less
LibraryThing member DianneBottinelli
I received a copy of Me,My Hair, and I as an Early Reviewers for Library thing.The heartfelt stories of the women made me laugh and cry. We all have our hair stories, and it creates a bond among all women. I could relate to the perm stories, remembering my mother giving me a perm every summer and
The stories that made me cry the most were the women who lost their hair and had to adjust to being bald. My beautiful daughter, Chelsea, developed Aloplecia a few years ago, possibly due to stress. Her hair fell out very quickly in large chunks, so she finally had her husband shave her head, as they both cried.She eventually lost all hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, and pubic hair (NO Brazilian wax needed for her!). She wears a wig sometimes, but often goes bald, and uses tattoo eyebrows and fake eyelashes.(It is very hard to apply lashes that do not have an eyelash line to follow).
My best memory is recently when Chelsea was pregnant with child #3. Halloween is her favorite holiday, and she creates elaborate costumes every year. She took total advantage of her pregnancy and baldness by going as Buddha, while her husband with a full beard and long hair went as Jesus Christ. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
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going outside under the apple tree, because the perm solution smelled so bad. Then I remember the dried frizz of my hair until it grew out, and started looking somewhat normal.The stories that made me cry the most were the women who lost their hair and had to adjust to being bald. My beautiful daughter, Chelsea, developed Aloplecia a few years ago, possibly due to stress. Her hair fell out very quickly in large chunks, so she finally had her husband shave her head, as they both cried.She eventually lost all hair, eyebrows, eyelashes, and pubic hair (NO Brazilian wax needed for her!). She wears a wig sometimes, but often goes bald, and uses tattoo eyebrows and fake eyelashes.(It is very hard to apply lashes that do not have an eyelash line to follow).
My best memory is recently when Chelsea was pregnant with child #3. Halloween is her favorite holiday, and she creates elaborate costumes every year. She took total advantage of her pregnancy and baldness by going as Buddha, while her husband with a full beard and long hair went as Jesus Christ. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!
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LibraryThing member WillowOne
This book has the stories of 27 women and their hair. Hair is important. Whether you should have it or not, if it is short, long, curly, straight, frizzy, thin, strong, brittle or whatever it may be hair is important. We can all agree that it is one of the first things you notice when you look at
I received this book for the purpose of review.
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anyone. We all have had our times of trial with our hair and we have had the "good hair" days too. It is interesting to read about those from other cultures and the hair beliefs that are new to me. There are stories I can relate to and those that I have heard from friends. This is a book that really brings together how alike we are dealing with hair problems and how even those who you think have the best hair have their own stories.I received this book for the purpose of review.
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LibraryThing member authoramy
The concept behind this book is so much fun - tell the stories of women through their stories about their hair. I enjoyed many, but not all, of the essays about hair. Some were funny, some were sad, others a tad "meh." I've found this to be a useful teaching tool, however, in my creative writing
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classes - asking students to tell me "hair stories" has yielded a number of really fascinating essays. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tamara_Da_Hunt
I really enjoyed the stories in this book, and I loved the concept of it as well. Some of the stories were better than others, but overall this was a pretty good read.
LibraryThing member LNDuff
The title tells all. This book is about women and their hair. Sometimes about the women’s mothers. Sometimes about the men or women whose opinions the authors let control their choices about their hair. Or not.
Women grow their hair, cut their hair, lose their hair, color their hair, go through
While some of the essays are touching, and even through-provoking, as a whole this book feels like it is stretching hard to make some personal musings of varying quality into a meaningful collection. An ok read, a reader who’s interested in what women have to say might pick it up and enjoy it. Or....
Women grow their hair, cut their hair, lose their hair, color their hair, go through
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various tortures and contortions to style their hair. Or not. While some of the essays are touching, and even through-provoking, as a whole this book feels like it is stretching hard to make some personal musings of varying quality into a meaningful collection. An ok read, a reader who’s interested in what women have to say might pick it up and enjoy it. Or....
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LibraryThing member jenniferb
I enjoyed this anthology even more than I thought I would. The essays were very well-written. It made me realize just how much my hair plays into my notions of identity. Some of the essays felt snobbish to me, but there are also some real gems.
LibraryThing member hjstorm
An enchanting and diverse set of perspectives. I have recommended this book to several people since receiving it from early reviewers. I love reading personal perspectives on beauty.
LibraryThing member varielle
This is a collection of essays about a subject all women have tangled with--their hair. It's amazing the lengths we go to for the sake of our appearance and how much self esteem is tied up in our locks. Quite entertaining about a topic that nobody takes for granted. I've passed it along to my
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stylist who found it amusing. Whether you tease, cut, braid or whip it, your hair tells the world who you are. It's put me in the mind to listen to the soundtrack of the musical Hair--long, beautiful hair. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shadow123
This collection of essays about women's experiences with their hair is really, really great. I wish it went a little farther - more diversity in experience, more people of color, more essays about different types of hair (body hair, facial hair, manufactured hair) - but it's good at what it does.
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There is a nice variety of voices and perspectives here. I recommend this book for anyone with hair. Show Less
LibraryThing member bookappeal
I guess it's comforting to know that most women, no matter how successful, are a little crazy about their hair, but the essays in this collection become a little tiring after awhile as themes start to repeat - women who learn to accept a natural look; women who defiantly color and don't care who
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knows it's fake; women who were obsessed with their hair when younger but have mellowed into acceptance with age. There are some highlights (ha ha). "My Black Hair" by Marita Golden succinctly illustrates that "Black women's hair is knotted and gnarled by issues of race, politics, history, and pride." No matter what they decide to do with their hair, it's sure to be controversial from some segment of their friends, family, or co-workers. On the lighter side of the spectrum, Jane Smiley writes about the time she had a makeover and looked fabulous for a couple weeks. Her advice? "Try to look your best as infrequently as possible." Because, no matter how you look, the people who see you all the time will become accustomed to it. So, if you only make an effort for special occasions, your friends may be in for a pleasant surprise. "No, they didn't know you had any taste. No, is was not clear that you were actually pretty, but you are! This is not the same as letting yourself go. It is more like being dormant, so that from time to well-chosen time you may blossom." This collection is best read one essay every few days instead of all at once. Show Less
LibraryThing member lahochstetler
This collection of essays examines women's hair issues. The authors in this book all have hair issues: their identities are tied up in their hair. The essays touch on the sort of issues one might expect in such a collection: women losing their hair to cancer treatment, arguments with mothers over
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hairstyles, sibling envy when a sibling has "better" hair, going grey. We also have essays about women's experiences with their hair in different cultures. Not all of the essays are originals. Anne Lamott's is an excerpt from one of her books. Looking at the collection as a whole, there's definitely a heavy New York City focus. It was kind of surprising to me how many of the authors spend a small fortune at super-fancy New York salons. This was a book that was fine to read, but was by no means a must-read for me. It was interesting enough, and the authors were, by and large, good. This wasn't a book that I would stay up late to finish. I'd call it pleasant but unmemorable. Show Less
LibraryThing member WordMaven
Enjoyable and relatable, Me, My Hair and I is a book all women will laugh out loud over, say "I thought I was the only one" over and wonder over. Hair is so many things to us: political, sexual, individual, conforming. Apparently the hair choices we make say a lot of things about us and for many
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women those choices indicate freedom (and sadly at times its lack). While all ages and several races are included, the absence of "gay" hair leaves us to long-held social stereotypes. It would have been great to hear the hair story of a gay woman, but I guess that'll have to wait. Overall it's a good read and perfect for dipping in and out of as time allows. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1616204117 / 9781616204112
Other editions
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