Member Reviews

Fat, black, queer and trap feminist what does that look like or mean? Sesali Bowen takes us on the journey to explain what it means, how it came about and the journey that her life took in order for her to have developed the framework for understanding her life in the way that she does. A fat, black, queer woman gets to tell her own story here and her own story matters. This is an engaging, insightful, sometimes uncomfortable read but it's so very worth it.

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This book was amazing! It made me think about the way we regard women as a society, the way black women who don’t fit what society has determined is an acceptable size are treated like as well as those who have more intense struggles in their lives. It made me take a closer look at trap music and the messages presented. It was not only eye opening but thought provoking. It was heartfelt but also a lot of fun to read. The author’s path to finding herself was inspiring and one that I learned from tremendously. I’d definitely recommend this book to everyone. Five stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the ARC! I will be picking this book up when it’s released.

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Give Sesali Bowen everything!! I found myself laughing, crying, raging, and cheering at various moments throughout this book. I can’t wait for it to be released to buy copies for dear friends. This bad fat black girl is here to stay, and thank god for it.

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Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this wonderful book!
THE COVER IS SOO GORGEOUS AND ON THE POINT. This book is fantastic!
Sesali Bowen's memoir/treatise on trap feminism is a captivating and insightful book. I learned a lot and had fun reading it!

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This book was so interesting! So many people want to criticize the "trap" female, and Bad Fat Black Girl gives her the respect she deserves. I enjoyed the slang definitions and the anecdotes from the author's own life.

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Bad Fat Black Girl by Sesali Bowen is fantastic. The characters, the prose, the overall narrative of the novel is fantastic. I thought the representation was a high point of this. I think the inclusion of music was the best part about this. I went into this blind, for the most part, and enjoyed every second of it. I think the concept of "trap feminism" defines this novel as a whole.

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"None of us needs validation from anyone else but ourselves, and by the time you finish this book, you hopefully won't be tempted to question the perceived self-assurance of the next Black girl you meet. But, while we don't require acknowledgment, we deserve to be seen."

Wow! This memoir set against some of the most popular trap lyrics of our time was so funny, honest, raw and incredibly beautiful. When I tell you, I had so many songs going through my head as I read the lyrics Sesali Bowen quotes in this book. I have so much of this book highlighted. As a fat black girl, this book helped me to feel seen and helped to validate many of my own experiences, but also helped me to identify some of my own biases. This book makes you look within your self and confront some things, which is great. Sesali walks us through some very hard subjects with humor, raw honesty and grace. Also, the way Sesali describes her theory of trap feminism had me convinced. I have struggled too, with the lyrics of trap and hip hop music that I love and the lyrics that were misogynistic, but the way Sesali applies her trap feminism to this is extremely insightful. I don't think I'll ever forget this book. This was a quick but important read that I think everyone will benefit from reading.

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Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this wonderful book!
THE COVER IS SOO GORGEOUS AND ON THE POINT. This book is fantastic!
Sesali Bowen's memoir/treatise on trap feminism is a captivating and insightful book. I learned a lot and had fun reading it!

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First off, the cover to this book is definitely on point! I went into this book blind, not knowing anything about Sesali Bowen or her term “trap feminism,” but I was immediately on board with her idea of it. As a bad fat Chicana, I felt like I could immediately relate to Sesali’s writing, humor, and down-to-Earth vibe. Her insight into feminism in a world that is dominated by White feminism was a breath of fresh air. It was great to be able to explore feminism with her through this book; to be able to identify the hypocrisy in feminism at times and relate to the realness of wanting to be a feminist in a movement that was not built for fat women of color. Sesali Bowen is breaking that mold and I was able to learn a lot from her through this book.

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This book accomplishes many things well. Sesali writes in an accessible manner about topics that can be loaded down with academic jargon. While she’s using the lens of trap feminism to interrogate our society, she injects a candid and humorous look at her life experiences.

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Sesali Bowen's personal memoir/treatise on trap feminism is a captivating and insightful read, especially for any reader who didn't grow up in this culture. Bad Fat Black Girl adds a important voice to modern feminism and does it with style and humor.

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This book is fantastic! The author, whose columns were a highlight of the Feministing blog, expounds upon her theory of trap feminism as a philosophy and guiding force for Black women. She discusses trap feminism in the context of the overlapping categories of money, labor, sex, fat bodies, queerness, romance, and  friendship.

The power of trap feminism is that it is inclusive, not only for women of color from a poorer context, but also for women of diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds; I am a middle class, middle aged Indian woman living in the U.S., and I found this book applicable to many parts of my life. The author's excellence stems from a combination of scholarship in media criticism and a lived experience of growing up poor, tough, and bold. Her voice is authentic, direct, smart, and funny. Highly recommended for all libraries.

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