Gloria Jean Watkins, writing under the name bell hooks, is an acclaimed cultural critic, feminist theorist, artist, and writer of over three dozen books. hooks explored the intersection of black and female identities in the mid-20th century, inspired by the victories of the Civil and Women’s Rights movements. hooks ventured outside of gender & race, publishing personal memoirs, poetry collections, and children's books. Her work also includes commentary on class, spirituality, teaching, and popular media’s influence.
You can find bell hooks’ books on Amazon or through searching indiebound.
Our featured excerpt is from her 2000 book “All About Love: New Visions,” in which she discusses personal and philosophical ideas about romantic love in American culture.
“Taught to believe that the mind, not the heart, is the seat of learning, many of us believe that to speak of love with any emotional intensity means we will be perceived as weak and irrational. And it is especially hard to speak of love when what we have to say calls attention to the fact that lovelessness is more common than love, that many of us are not sure what we mean when we talk of love or how to express love.
Everyone wants to know more about love. We want to know what it means to love, what we can do in our everyday lives to love and be loved. We want to know how to seduce those among us who remain wedded to lovelessness and open the door to their hearts to let love enter. The strength of our desire does not change the power of our cultural uncertainty.
Everywhere we learn that love is important, and yet we are bombarded by its failure. In the realm of the political, among the religious, in our families, and in our romantic lives, we see little indication that love informs decisions, strengthens our understanding of community, or keeps us together. This bleak picture in no way alters the nature of our longing. We still hope that love will prevail. We still believe in love’s promise.”
Hooks, Bell. “Grace: Touched By Love.” All about Love, Women's, 2000, pp. xxvii-xxvii
Image credit: Monica Almeida / NYTimes
