This book was overall a satisfying nonfiction, though I don't feel it went above and beyond into a favourite for me. I loved the focus on how forgiveness affects people of colour specifically, and I enjoyed the discussion of victim versus perpetrator as a nuanced conversation. Very satisfying read, and a good review of the surface of a very complex topic.

Failures of Forgiveness is a much needed book in the self-help space. Failures of Forgiveness discusses where forgiveness can hurt the victim and how to navigate when others apologize. It centers on people who are wronged and offers well thought out examples: the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in post-apartheid South Africa and the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church Charleston, SC shooting. Cherry also discusses office culture and how forgiveness can be used against employees. She discusses the effects of religion on the ideas of forgiveness and forgetting and also spends time talking about extending forgiveness to ourselves. It is a well-written and well-structured book that is easy to read. There is a lot to think about and unpack. I highly recommend it.

Forgiving is hard. Sometimes it’s made harder by the expectations of society. In this book the author is a philosopher that has studied various aspects of what forgiveness means in our culture. She pulls together a wide range of sources and presents a variety of outlooks. It is FASCINATING!

This is a charged topic and there are so many ramifications. I was particularly moved by the deep dive into what is expected of victims and how burdensome that can be. I will definitely reread this as it gives me context for processing this topic in my own life.

The narration was fantastic. Tracey Conyer Lee had just the right amount of sass and animation to complement the subject. Thanks to @netgalley for an advanced copy of this book. It’s out now.

Forgiveness is such a sensitive subject for the whole mankind. Every religion teaches us the importance of forgiveness. Every religion asks us to forgive the wrongdoings of an offender.

"We should rethink how we should respond to wrongdoing, we all navigate the complicated paths of relationships, emotions, conflicts, tough conversations and solidarity.

Many of us have been victimized by those who have vowed to never hurt us."

Intermingled with some real life stories, some from her own life and even from some movies like Coco as an example and from the whole tone of the book, it is quite obvious how compassionate the author feels towards forgiveness. I agree with most of the points she made and how she says what we can achieve by being forgiving, like either aiming for relief, release or reconciliation. There will always be an ongoing debate as to forgive or not especially in matters which make forgiving difficult, but forgiving your offender can be a good moral practice to move on in your life.

This is a very detailed book and touches many aspects of our daily life with struggles to forgiveness & forgetting and that's what makes this one an important book.

Myisha cherry started exploring forgiveness after some relatives of the victims of the mass shooting at Emmanuel A.M.E. church, Charleston, South Carolina forgave the offender for what seemed unforgivable. She even argues that forgiving without getting to the root of the problem can actually be hazardous for the society.

Reading this book, we learn about forgiveness in a new light , a new way to tackle the wrongdoings in our life which can open paths to radical repair and true healing and can set us towards reconciliation with our past.

Audiobook feedback: it was pleasant experience to listen to the audiobook narrated by Tracey Conyer Lee. Overall enjoyed listening to her.

Thank you Netgalley and RB media for providing me with audiobook ARC in exchange of an honest review.

“Failures of Forgiveness” is such an honest, direct look at the ways in which we have misunderstood the concept of forgiveness and who’s most impacted by it when we do.

Who gets to determine who deserves forgiveness? Does the presence of anger mean a resistance to letting go? Can you forgive too soon? Does forgiveness need to be consigned in social situations? Intent and nuance are deeply interrogated in #failuresofforgiveness, giving readers room to personally examine our power, connection, and capacity for forgiveness. A lot of the examples are easy to relate to which gives the book a more approachable feel. It’s definitely academia-worthy but an easy, accessible read for anyone to enjoy. Order today, link in my bio! 💃🏾📖 Thanks #netgalley!

I have wrestled with the concept of forgiveness for years. Having being raised as a conservative evangelical christian, the belief system was to forgive. Over and over and over. 70x7. There was an unspoken “forgive and forget” undertone. After all, didn’t Jesus forgive us our sins?! Forgiveness was also tied with healing. I believed I could not be healed without forgiving. I forgave. Over and over. I struggled with this topic increasingly, as I started dismantling abuse. How could I forgive that? I did not want to forgive the actions of my abuser, yet I was truly healing and moving on. It went against all I was taught. I eventually read a book that spoke of forgiveness so differently. That there is no time frame for forgiveness. That forgiveness does not equal reconciliation. That the abuser needs to make amends to the abused. Etc

I picked up this book because of this years-long process of figuring out forgiveness. She does a good job of explaining it how I now view it. Empowering the victim. Not setting time frames. Etc What I really appreciated, which I had not yet heard along with forgiveness, is how she approaches forgiveness with racial violence, cancel culture, gender issues, etc It was really helpful, and I’m so glad someone is speaking out on this. Forgiveness from a minority group, when the violence is perpetual and a deep community problem, will not look the same. Nor should it! And that’s OK. I appreciate the insights on forgiveness and racial issues a lot.

3.75 stars. This was a thoughtful and compelling book about societal narratives of responding to harm and how we as individuals can prioritize meeting our own needs. I was disappointed that it didn't discuss teshuvah (see On Repentence and Repair by Danya Ruttenberg).

The audiobook performance was excellent.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!