Rachel Cargle does vital work which she shares in her powerful new memoir, “A Renaissance of Our Own”. Reading it is a privilege. We get a front row seat to witness the evolution of Cargle’s life and leadership as a leading voice in our latest reckoning with systemic racism and patriarchy. But she doesn’t spoon feed. Every step described in the book is a challenge to the reader to reevaluate their life. Every part of it. Everyday.

Cargle lives at the intersection of race and gender. We all need to live there. We need to understand the challenges for ourselves and others, especially Black females. Getting to this point has been a journey for Cargle. She needed to first learn to trust herself, not let herself be defined by other people’s values. She needed to focus on what was essential and develop a new manifesto. She decided that every step she takes needs to meet her core values of Ease, Abundance, and Opportunity.

We all need to do this work. “A Renaissance” shows the way. We all must understand that, regardless of what we have learned or think that we know, we do not know enough about what life is like for others. Everyone needs to learn more, do more, care more. Act more. Commit to The Great Unlearn and Reimagine.

Finally, Cargle prizes Public Libraries. Let us all commit to the survival of Public Libraries.

Cargle’s work and learnings are channeled through The Loveland Group. Go there. Be there. https://www.lovelandgroupllc.com/

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for the eARC.

I’ve been aware of Cargle for a few years now. Following her on social media. I was one of the many white women that flocked to her to in 2020. I was also one of the many white women that was deeply discomforted when called out.

I admire Rachel. Not only for the work she does as an anti-racism educator, but as a human being, a woman, taking up as much space as she pleases in this world. I admire her talent and her ability to make words tangible. They’re textured and evoke feelings I didn’t know I could feel at the hands of a stranger. I admire the easeful way she lives her life and am in awe at how intentional she is about everything.

Rachel’s writing made me feel as if I was wrapped in a warm, cozy blanket straight out of the dryer. It was like getting into a freshly laundered bed after shaving my legs. Quite honestly? This book felt like my mother when I was six years old; soft and warm as I snuggled in her bosom seeking safety and comfort and love. That’s not to say I didn’t find discomfort in her words at times. But it’s to say that she delivered the hard truth of the matter in a way that allowed for me to re-examine my actions and find another path that corrected wrongs and encouraged unlearning and relearning without giving a gold star for doing the work but also without judgement.

Rachel invites the reader to reimagine everything. To be childlike in day dreaming. To be intentional. To be soft and joyful. To dig deeper when confronting their own biases. To be a researcher and to take responsibility for one’s own education in all things life. To listen to what it is that the reader wants out of life rather than what’s expected of them.

If I had a physical copy of this book, most of it would’ve been highlighted. It will be one of my most gifted books of the year.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital review copy of this book in exchange for my honest feedback and review

It seems a shame that a young, Black woman grew up without learning about strong Black women, Black feminists/activists: Rosa Parks, Shirley Chisholm, Audre Lorde, Sojourner Truth, Angela Davis, and others. They were Freedom fighters, to be sure, women ahead of their time. Better late than never, right, Rachel Elizabeth Cargle? Now you have joined your voice with theirs! When anti-woke elected leaders ban books and legislate school curricula, we need voices like yours so that all young people can learn about these strong individuals! Not only that, young women, especially those of color, who are gender-expansive, and those who are differently abled need role models and teachers who can help them on their path to self-actualization.

In A Renaissance of Our Own: A Memoir & Manifesto on Reimagining, Rachel Cargle chronicles her personal history beginning in Akron, Ohio, where she lived in public housing with her single mother, who was disabled, and two older sisters. Despite her “handicaps,” Rachel’s mom had a can-do attitude and inspired Rachel to do the same. She writes honestly and openly about her marriage to a Christian man, whom she loved but with whom she felt stifled and unfulfilled in quest for personal growth. She struck me as a restless spirit, one who is always seeking to learn, to grow, and in doing so, to share her experience with others.

Rather than titling her book “A Renaissance of MY Own,” which this most certainly is – a memoir – it is also what Ms. Cargle calls a “Manifesto.” She calls upon her readers, who she says she hopes will be primarily Black women, although all women are certainly welcome, to read, reflect, and create their own plans. As a white woman who came out when Reagan was President and John Paul II was Pope, I was quite interested and intrigued by the author’s journey and evolution, personally, spiritually, intellectually, and socially. Her statements about white supremacy, including within the feminist movement, are something that we all should pay attention to and honor. As I read about her experiences and those of other minority students at Columbia University, I felt how exhausting it is to be a non-white in America! But I didn’t need Rachel to tell me that; it’s everywhere; yet, hearing it first-hand from someone who lives it makes it really hit home. At one point, she admits to being tired of withstanding whiteness. I felt the fatigue from her as I read it.

Yet, she continues to work, to learn, to teach, and to give of herself. She puts value on knowledge, empathy, and action, and always strives to keep in mind her own highest values: Ease, abundance, and opportunity. She has formed Loveland Group, what she calls “the Great Unlearn” with staff members who are women of color, queer, and multi-cultural and have much to share with others. This led to the formation of Loveland Foundation, a nonprofit for free mental health therapy for Black females.

Rachel, many of us white women may have had opportunities that you had to scrape and claw for, privileges that you never had and still fight for. But some of us had religious upbringings we had to deal with, college degrees that didn’t take us where we felt we wanted to be, at least not directly. Like you, some struggled to find the right mentorship. So, kudos to you, Rachel Elizabeth Cargle, for being that person for so many women!

I received a digital ARC of A Renaissance of Our Own in return for my unbiased review. Special thanks to NetGalley, Ballantine Books, and Ms. Rachel Elizabeth Cargle. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

4 stars

Reinventing oneself makes an interesting read for me! Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC for the purpose of this review. Four stars from me. I thought Cargle did a fantastic job telling her personal transformation story. I liked reading about her experiences.

Rachel's memoir is an raw and honest approach at becoming her true self instead of what society tells her she needs to be. I loved and took away a lot from Rachels work when she provided her templates and writing prompts after each chapter. The chapter "Unpacking White Feminism" was insightful and noteworthy as a white woman to read.. Rachel continually shows us through her work on herself and offering us, through her book, how to create a life with profound values and vision.

In A Renaissance of Our Own Rachel Cargle shows her readers how she paved her own path as an entrepreneur, teacher, and leader and how we can go about cultivating a meaningful life that aligns with our deepest values as well. The narrative is compromised of stories from Rachel's own childhood journey growing up with a single mother who had a physical disability and stories centering her own awakening as she learned more about the ways Black women were excluded from the feminist movement she deeply championed as a young person. I love how she lays out the historical facts for those who want to dig deeper into the many ways racism showed up in the movement- this book holds all the receipts! I'm so glad girls and young woman will have this book as a reference point to look to to learn more.

I've been a long time supporter of Rachel and her work and have always felt deeply appreciative of the ways she has been generous and transparent with her process as a student of life and a Black woman on a path towards reimagining greater possibilities for herself. Studying the life and business of moguls like Beyonce and Oprah allowed Rachel to clarify her own vision for what love and career could look like for herself. By actively reshaping the frameworks she was handed she was able to embrace her truest self, divorce her ex-husband, decide to leave Columbia University and reject any notion that a conventional life is the only way to live. She also speaks to her decision not to become a mother and the shadow side of the work this clarity required. I know this aspect of the text will help many women considering this question from a more nuanced, honest point of view.

A Renaissance of Our Own includes writing prompts, reflections, and templates at the end of each chapter to help readers write down our own personal manifestos and apply what we've taken away from the text. Rachel's memoir is showing readers, Black women in particular, that it is possible to build the life you want and to create it on a foundation of your deepest values. It will take shadow work, healing, and community but it's possible if you're willing to put in the work and believe in yourself above all else.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy!