“For Black women, loving ourselves and passing that self-love down to our daughters and our granddaughters is a difficult task. Centuries of negation often makes us feel like we need to adopt a hard, protective shell, which is either praised as strength or dismissed as hostility. In short, we turn ourselves into stone.”

Carolyn Holbrook’s collection of essays is a spectacular and eye opening read. Each short story or chapter provides a glimpse into her life and each can stand alone or can be viewed together as a powerful memoir. Her experiences with everything from poverty, single motherhood, micro aggressions to outright racism paint a intricate and detailed picture of what it means to be a Black woman in America.

For me, one of the main takeaways from Holbrook’s stunning work is the importance of moving away from the idea of ‘one story’. Each of us are unique and cannot placed into nice neat boxes based on race or gender or socioeconomic status or anything of the sort. Furthermore, our own individual stories are not the only stories. We must continue to share our stories and listen to the stories of others as “the healing power of story cannot be stressed enough”.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Posting on my instagram 7/14.

In my quest to diversify my reading selections, I came across this title by a Black woman hailed as the ‘darling of the Twin Cities literary community.’ I almost put it down halfway into the first essay, though, because the author started talking about a visitation from ghosts. Ghosts kind of creep me out. But I realized that if I truly wanted to learn from other cultures, religions, and ways of seeing, thinking, and being, I would have to keep reading without judgment.

I’m glad I did. This collection of essays paints the broad strokes of a Black woman’s journey. Reading the book reminded me of looking through a stranger’s out-of-sequence photo albums. Snapshots of life vividly portrayed with poignant color and flavor offered on the coffee table of life.

The reader must mull over and store the wisdom and stories of each essay in order to better hear the wisdom and stories of the essays that follow.

I’ve long known the narrative of the Welfare rolls filled with minorities to be false. Now I know just how damaging that narrative is from the pen of someone who dealt with the demeaning system. As an educator, Holbrook helped me understand the importance of vulnerability and honesty with one’s students. Our stories help others learn and make sense of their own stories.

I often wonder what one thing (or group of things) will help a student escape the cycle of poverty. It’s not just receiving a good education, either. Building resilience in an individual takes a community of believers, come alongsiders, encouragers, and picker-uppers. Those of us in supporting roles cannot give up just because the going seems tough or the task impossible. Neither can we ever forget that we play a supporting role—we are Yodas, not Luke Skywalkers.

If you’re looking to broaden your cultural understanding and think about tough topics such as the false narratives of the ‘Welfare Mom,’ this book is for you. Maybe you’re simply looking for a book because you don’t want others to think you’re a Karen. Without ever saying the words ‘white privilege,’ you’ll have a better understanding of what it is and what it isn’t.

And if you’ve ever thought that words can’t wound, think again. The words we use, the terms we pigeonhole people with—they matter. Just because someone feels put on the spot and doesn’t call you on your word choice doesn’t mean your words don’t offend or wound. Listen, read, and learn.

I’ve thought long and hard about what I want to say about this book... and the truth is, I’m still at a loss for words. Nothing I say can fully express the impact it’s had on me. Since turning the last page, I’ve felt a deep ache marking the experience that I have yet to shake. I’ve found myself combing back through and re-reading the MANY passages I highlighted along the way, just to reconnect to this marvelous work. In short, Carolyn Holbrook is a treasure. And this artfully constructed collection of stories detailing her personal history and journey to success is a literal gem. Formed as a result of measures of pain and sacrifice and joy and learning, this book (much like its author) shines all the more brightly for the diverse forces that forged it.

Thanks to NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was an interesting set of compiled essays by Carolyn Holbrook that deal with timely and moving issues of racism, poverty, education, personal struggle, and prejudice that the author encountered throughout her life. I found the essays to be mixed in quality and they felt rather disjointed for me. There were some that I thought were truly phenomenal - the one about her teaching and building a workshop as well as her oldest son in prison really stood out to me. However, others I had difficulty resonating with. Overall, I thought this was a very interesting perspective to read from but found the organization of the essays to be a bit challenging to follow.

Honest open raw a memoir a group of essays The author shares her life traumas she lived through .The reality of life as a biracial single mother and how she overcame it all.How she became a leading figure in Minnesota’s literary community,# netgalley#uofminnesotapress

This collection of essays, compiled and expertly interwoven to form a memoir, and what a memoir it is. Carolyn Holbrook is a master of her craft. She is able to convey eloquently and seamlessly her own experiences - the challenges, the microaggressions, the overt racism, the family she loves, the work she found herself giving herself to - and situates those personal experiences within the context of the broader ongoing fight for equity and justice in our country.

The first essay had me in tears from the start. There is a poignancy, a sometimes chilling connection to her ancestors, a relentless dedication to helping youth succeed, and an openness in talking about and reflecting on her own experiences that makes Tell Me Their Names and I Will Testify impossible to put down. Holbrook is a staple in my own community, and this collection of essays will make it easy to see why.

The organization of the essays is also quite brilliant. It feels like a conversation - albeit one with the most eloquent person I’ve ever talked to. The way she goes from story to story is never haphazard. Rather, it feels like she has a narrative in mind at all times and introduces experiences and characters at just the right time to further that narrative. It reminds me of a way of speaking I often employ, which is to start by talking about some background relating to “this” before finally introducing what “this” is. You get the context and some preliminary thoughts - almost a prologue - before actually getting to the thesis. And I love that, not only because it reads like we readers get to be part of her fluid train of thought but also because each story really is interrelated, informing the next and informed by the previous and connected in meaningful ways. Sometimes those connections are explicit and sometimes it’s the feeling they leave you with, or a similar fight for justice and equity experienced by different people in her life. The organization also allows each reader to make their own connections, to see how an experience of meeting the spirit of her ancestor is connected to her work with youth is connected to her children’s lives. I found it all quite brilliantly interwoven, and I’ve gone back to several of the stories already to re-digest them and further reflect on all of their nuances.

Tell Me Their Names and I Will Testify is powerful, touching, and igniting in its messages, it’s structure, and it’s reflections. I cannot wait to add this to my library when it releases, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone. You can spend 15 minutes reading one essay or read it in its entirety in one sitting, and it will make us all more aware of systemic oppression, each of our place and role in our society, and increase our compassion. Holbrook is a magnificent writer and I’m really grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for my advance copy.

Thank you Netgalley for the early read.
I have to say 3.5 stars for this collection of essays. I found it hard to follow at times and though I know the author was sharing different parts of herself and her life, it felt disjointed. When I saw that many of these essays had been previously published, it seemed to make a little more sense to me. The author has a lot to offer and many great stories but I felt as if there were too many themes and ideas trying to be brought across.
I did take away that Carolyn is most certainly a great teacher and though I wish there were more anecdotes to this effect, her concept of the importance lighting a spark and not necessarily being around to witness the flames is very important and will stick will me for a long time to come.

It’s a unique challenge to review this book, because it doesn’t fit into a particular box, but oh my gosh was it good.

This book is a ghost story, memoir, tragedy, human triumph. It’s a story about taking people with you, and chance encounters, and how the world is both horrible & beautiful. The author’s experiences with racism, power & prejudice are explored, and the grace and strength she holds dance off the page.

I was so deeply impressed that I googled the author & found out she’s AMAZING, which makes me want to find more of her work and share it with others.

Thanks NetGalley & University of Minnesota press for the e-ARC of this beautiful collection of essays.

This book gave me a lot to think about as a white woman and the privilege I have within society. My heart broke for the ways in which the author was treated and her daughter and the the lack of support and justice they received. Carolyn Holbrook seems to be such a truly lovely person that has contributed to and inspired such a large amount of people to write and express themselves and that is one of the greatest gifts you can give someone. I wish my teachers were as wonderful as Carolyn is.

(Blog post to come soon)

A heartbreaking story showing the life of a black woman in Minnesota. I liked the narration of the essays even if sometimes they were really hard to read and comprehend.

Thank you Netgalley for the book !
I requested this book because I was really intrigued by the title and the beginning was amazing.
But as I was reading it became too much, for me the book was all over the place, she was talking about rape and then moved on to a son or a ex.
Me personally didn't feel closure in anything she told us about.
Which is sad because I truly wanted to like this one...
1,5⭐

Tell Me Your Names and I Will Testify is a uniquely written memoir, using a compilation of essays. Written by Carolyn Holbrook as she explores experiences in her life as a Black American woman in Minneapolis/St. Paul area, Minnesota. With a challenging upbringing, Holbrook finds herself a teenage mother forced to drop out of high school. She explores the systemic oppression the government welfare system puts her in: from an abundance of paperwork which leads her to lose time which could be spent with her children, to the grocery store checkout worker who looks down upon her for paying with food stamps (and the feeling of shame which follows). Determined to give her children a better life, Holbrook busts her butt to get out of the suffocating grasps of the system. Along the way, she must deal with racism and oppression, both personal and systemic.

Holbrook has been the recipient of many awards, including but not limited to her work in getting more accessible writing classes to the lower income, minority communities in the Twin Cities area. She founded multiple programs and organizations which worked to achieve that and more in the literary arts world. Holbrook is an incredibly successful woman and literary arts advocate. Due to the systemic racial oppression in America, she had to work ten times as hard for that success.


The greatest challenge in reading this book was the sometimes lack of organization with some of the essays, There were a few times where I had a tough time following along because the story would jump to a completely different thing. The only other issue I had (and may be due to the uncorrected advanced e-copy I read) was the formatting. There was an essay in particular where it's writing from the perspective of her son; I could tell the story was jumping back and forth from his voice to hers but it was very challenging. By italicizing one or the other, I may have had an easier time following along. This small formatting comment can easily be cleaned up in final edits and it doesn't take away from the power of her writing.

Thank you to the University of Minnesota Press and NetGalley for this advanced copy... I will post this review on my Instagram page two weeks prior to its release and update this review with Links to those additional posts.

A compelling narrative of life in Minnesota for an African American women. It adds to the important library of MN nonfiction like “A Good Time for the Truth.”

This book was a heartbreaking and uplifting insight into the world of the author and exactly how her identity has been politicised and fetishised throughout her life, and her amazing efforts to build a career and care for her children in an uncertain set of circumstances where there were many things that went against her. I really appreciated the anecdotes that the author laid out in this book, as well as the quotes that were incorporated into the essays.

I think more than anything I appreciated the highlighting of the micro and macro aggressions that people of colour constantly face in their lives- with a particular standout being the nurse who had cared for her after she had given birth and his bizarre fetishisation of her identity- there is such an innate danger that comes with that kind of language and behaviour. I appreciated that the author turned the narrative to building a better world for her children, and how much she had managed to give back to a world that had maltreated her so very egregiously. This book is particularly necessary in our current world, and I appreciate that I had the privilege of reading it early.

Carolyn Holbrook is clearly a great storyteller and she’s lived a long enough life with a lot of stories to tell. From teenage pregnancies, living hand to mouth, lived through domestic abuse, seeing a son go to jail and just so much more, Carolyn Holbrook had a lot to add to the current dialogue about race and being black in the US.

It is interesting that Carolyn herself is from Minneapolis where George Floyd was murdered by the police and the Black Lives Matters protests have been taking place more than ever. Her essays date back to the 90s and her voice is just so important. Apart from being important, it’s also powerful. I like the way she wrote where she talks about one thing in the past and then effortlessly also interweaves another story or incident into it. There’s nothing meandering about it. You can see that it’s deliberate and it works. Not many can pull that off.

There’s a truth and honesty in the way that she’s written these essays. Almost felt like I was listening to a very eloquent friend talk about her life. I enjoyed my time reading this and would definitely recommend you picking it up as well.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

The essays connect with you on a personal level and they also keep the private close to the public and its effects on Carolyn as a black woman and as a single black woman struggling with motherhood and poverty side by side. Carolyn brings to you the face of racism and the prejudices from a closer lens. You see poverty and survival in poverty through the lens of a black woman in the United States. Holbrook not only collects her personal experiences but also writes and analyses the double standards that have existed in the system for a long time. What Carolyn reminds as again and again which is noticeable in every essay of her is the magic or the power of storytelling that she experiences at different stages of her life and it was something she learned very early on and these essays compiled together is an eye opener and a reminder that the other side has also has been at fault and we need to start saving our voices just like Holbrook does about the black race and the social-economic affect on a home of a black woman.

Wow. Seriously wow. These essays were just impactful and powerful. Really a beautiful insight into what is wrong with this world and what we can do differently to stand up and speak against the injustice. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the eARC I received in exchange for a fair and honest review.

To be honest, this book wasn’t what I expected. It’s marketed or described as being essays and the different chapters in this book are just that: they are chapters of a memoir rather than standalone essays. Still, while this book isn’t what I expected or was looking for, there are some strong themes and ideas that I think would be great fodder for classroom discussion, so while I’m not sure when, I will likely adopt this book for classroom use in the future.

2.5/5

As always, thank you for supplying me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this one was just not for me. I DNF'ed about halfway through. The writing style is very tell rather than show, and I was waiting and waiting for this author to break out into scene. It just never really happened, and it never reached a peak for me. There was nothing I was waiting for.

The stars I am awarding are for the themes as well as the introduction. I thought the ghost in the beginning was going to be a running image and come back, and I was disappointed that it didn't. I thought this section was powerful, and the author definitely has an interesting story. The issues surrounding race are timely as well.

While this one is not my cup of tea, I do think the author could have some promise if she showed us more rather than straight telling.

Thank you to NetGalley and University of Minnesota Press for allowing me to have an advanced reading copy.

“Tell me your names and I will testify” is an essay that gives hope to everyone. Here, we witness the author’s life through her eyes and I found it powerful. Her writing is poignant and delicate at once. I requested it in Netgalley because I was intrigued by the title and I’m not disappointed. It was actually interesting and I really enjoyed the book. Plus the message behind is actually powerful! Here we have a determined Black woman, that faces obstacles imposed by the color of her skin, gender, and class to be where she is in order to give her children a better life.
Thank you Carolyn Holbrook for sharing the inspiring, heartbreaking lessons behind your story!

I recommend everyone to read this story, you won’t regret it! It’s going to be release on July 21st, 2020