Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

It was okay and informative in places but the book was not for me. I’m glad it’s out there to teach many people that connect with it

Super interesting, an absolute must read for anyone wanting to proactively become anti-racist. Really accessible, I have this on kindle and paperback so I can lend it to people!

What's the book about?

Emma Dabiri, a Guardian contributor and BBC race correspondent, has written an essay collection about how black hair has been appropriated and stigmatised throughout history; with musings on body politics, race, pop culture. She also shares her own personal journey of self-love and acceptance, through the lens of hair texture.

My thoughts:
This was an engrossing read for me. It was insightful and thought-provoking. I wasn't aware there's so much history tied to hair and I'm so glad I read it! Can't recommend this book enough.

I really enjoyed this book, there was alot I could relate to being of African decent. Our relationship with our hair is very powerful and culturally led. Thank you

I think that the students in our school library need to hear lots of diverse voices and read stories and lives of many different kinds of people and experiences. When I inherited the library it was an incredibly sanitised space with only 'school readers' and project books on 'the railways' etc. Buying in books that will appeal to the whole range of our readers with diverse voices, eclectic and fascinating subject matter, and topics that will intrigue and fascinate them was incredibly important to me.
This is a book that I think our senior readers will enjoy very much indeed - not just because it's well written with an arresting voice that will really keep them reading and about a fascinating topic - but it's also a book that doesn't feel worthy or improving, it doesn't scream 'school library and treats them like young reading adults who have the right to explore a range of modern diverse reads that will grip and intrigue them and ensure that reading isn't something that they are just forced to do for their English project - this was a solid ten out of ten for me and I'm hoping that our students are as gripped and caught up in it as I was. It was one that I stayed up far too late reading and one that I'll be recommending to the staff as well as our senior students - thank you so much for the chance to read and review; I really loved it and can't wait to discuss it with some of our seniors once they've read it too!

I enjoyed what I learnt in this book but I must admit I found it very hard to absorb - it jumped about all over the place and as much as I can see the topic can't be simply ordered and the structure reflects that hair touches everything, I know my mind absorbs information when cleanly ordered and presented so I'm not sure how much really went in. I found what I did absorb interesting and important and have found it peppering my conversations, but I wish I could remember more as found it hard to support my explanations in debate. I think I need to read this again.

‘Strand by strand, the past is weaved skilfully together with the present’.

As someone with Type 1B blonde hair, Don’t Touch my Hair was an eye-opening and educating read. Emma Dabiri explores a wide range of topics and takes us on a journey examining African history, slave trade European influences and modern-day pop culture through the lens of beauty standards and hair dressing. There’s a lot to learn here and some things I had to Google, unaware that such things could actually be true (there was actually a petition to comb Beyonce’s child’s hair!?) There’s some beautiful pictures in here as well, both of traditional hairstyles and also a few advertisements that show a (thankfully) bygone era. Dabiri also weaves in her personal experience of growing up mixed race in Ireland, where she tries to tame her hair with poisonous chemicals and damaging hot combs.

There’s certainly a lot to learn in here, however the book seemed to be billed as a popular market book rather than an academic paper and this is emphasised by its blurb. I did find in places it was very much an academic piece and some of it felt quite dry and difficult to progress through. I felt that the structure was a bit of a mess, the chapters didn’t seem to link up and we jumped timelines quite a bit throughout with some repetition in places. I also personally would have loved a few more photos in the book as they are used well in parts, but photographs of the women discussed such as Fairy Mae Bryant would have been welcome. It did encourage me to do a lot of my own research though which was nice!

The book is also well formatted for the Kindle, with interesting asides worked into footnotes that are in the bulk of writing (just a different colour) and reference footnotes just noted and then presented at the end of the book.

Overall, Don’t Touch my Hair was an eye-opening and important read. Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin UK Books and Allen Lane for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a really important book and I’d recommend everyone to read it. Important, intelligent and inspirational. I learned so much which challenged some of my own thinking and made me examine my actions in a really healthy way. Highly recommend.

This is a wide ranging and compelling look at why black hair matters and why matters relating to it are so complicated. It's about hair, but it's also about the history of the oppression of black people across hundreds of years - from pre-colonial Africa through to the present day.

I read this not long after reading A'Leila Bundle's book about Madam C J Walker and it made for an interesting contrast - I thought that was a bit overly sympathetic at the time and I think now if I had read this first I wouldn't have finished the other! This covers Madam CJ and puts her in her historical context as well as looking at other black entrepreneurs in the spectrum. But it's much much broader than that. I learnt a lot.

And if you're looking for more books by black authors about black history to read at the moment, this is a great choice.

In this book, which is ostensibly about black women's hair but which takes in history, culture, politics and mathematics, she explains the power systems that have controlled black women's hair over the centuries and perceptions and definitions of what is 'natural', and celebrates the powerful legacy of the mathematically sophisticated elaborate classical African hair styles which have lasted unchanged for centuries.

One of the things I've always loved about reading, is getting to know different perspectives and that's what this book does. It shines a light on a culture and community in a way that I hadn't ever seen done before. I enjoyed it.

Although this is a tool for which I have a lived experience, understanding and knowledge, this was an incredibly interesting topic all the same.

Emma Dabiri explores this topic with clear depth and knowledge.

This book is not what I expected. First of all the title caught my attention - it’s a play on the Solange song of the same title. From the description - I thought it would be stories of the author’s experience of growing up in 80s Ireland with black hair. For better or worse - this book is so much more than that.

The author touches on everything (and I mean everything) related to black hair. From the different textures, styles, how people used to wear their hair and the significance of those styles in ye olden day African Kingdoms, to colonial times, slavery, the Jim Crow era, to the modern day times with the resurgence of the natural hair movement and even touches on the issues with cultural appropriation.

Now I like to think I can read anything even though I generally prefer fiction. However I had mixed feelings about this book. I found some bits really fascinating and the breath of the research was her inspiring - which unfortunately also meant that some parts of it felt quite disjointed and were quite boring. I think it could have done with a bit more editing to refine it more.

It was still interesting enough to read to the end and that is due to skill of the writer so kudos to her. It also made me think a lot about how I present my hair as a black woman and my attitude to my natural hair - questioning my underlying feelings about it and the reasons behind that.

As a white woman who has fine uber straight hair I've often wondered what it would be like to have curly manageable locks. In this book I learned about the lengths, literally, that black and mixed race women go to to get straight hair. I was unaware of so much of the angst surrounding so called 'good' hair and 'bad' hair. Personally I love an Afro style and didn't know that it was so political.
It was an enlightening read. But I would have loved to read more about Emma's own life regarding her hair. These were the parts that I enjoyed the most. I'm afraid a lot of the politics and history were not as interesting to me. I would have loved more details of how black hair is treated, the book assumed that the reader knows what the various products named do to hair. Obviously black and mixed race people know this already but I don't.

Good. Very well written and has given me a new perspective on this subject. This book talks about the importance of the relationship African and African Americans have with their hair and how historically important it has been down the centuries.

Disclaimer: I'm a white woman and not the intended audience for this book so this is a review is written from a position of limited perspective. Apologies in advance if I come across as a knob!

This is a non-fiction title that uses hair as a central point to explain black history, culture and attitudes. I was genuinely impressed with how the author managed to cover so much ground while keeping the subject of hair relevant to each new topic. This book is well researched, full of history and thought-provoking information. It’s presented in a modern way (that’s code for ‘includes internet speak’ – you either love it or you hate it! Thankfully this is in moderation so if you hate it, it’s not excessive). I read this book at a snail’s pace so I didn’t miss anything and I can already see a re-read in my future.

I was intrigued by the different philosophies on measuring time and mathematical systems in particular. This book is about black women in particular and gives an insight into the daily battles in a capitalist world that not only thinks you should look more white, but insists on selling you things it tells you to need rather than the things you actually need.

This book was a revelation to me. I have looked upon black hair styles with awe and respect ever since. Emma is half Irish, half Nigerian and has lived between continents as a child and adult. She was always aware she was different to other Irish children, but this is not a book about simple discrimination- rather discrimination of black hair. Obviously I am one of those responsible for contributing to this because of complete ignorance/ naivety.
Emma also studied African history at university so she does not only have a whole list of grievances about her hair as a child, but also possesses academic knowledge of a history of hair treatments, hair patterns and the mathematical symmetry as well as linking into the slave trade and political, racial and social aspects. Emma has a viewpoint, but doesn’t preach - not even when commenting on the take over of the Kardashian clan. So not just hair!

not really my genre but enjoyed nonetheless. It was interesting how this act impacted on people and i can now see how patronising it could be.

A really important, and very interesting read - quite the eye-opener. I learned a lot from this, and have a newfound respect for the intricate hairstyles