First published 2017
Gabrielle Union examines what it means to navigate modern womanhood as a Black actress in Hollywood. The forty-four-year-old star draws from her decades in entertainment, beginning with iconic 1990s film roles, to explore issues of gender, sexuality, race, and beauty standards. Union addresses her own experience as a sexual assault survivor, connecting her trauma to broader conversations about violence against women. She writes about growing up between two worlds, spending school years in white California suburbs and summers with Black relatives in Nebraska. The collection tackles Hollywood's competitive culture among women, the impact of her parents' divorce, and the complexities of puberty and early crushes. Union confronts beauty standards and bullying while reflecting on power dynamics in the entertainment industry. Her approach combines brutal honesty with humor, creating essays that move between personal revelation and social commentary. The book offers readers a blueprint for confidence and self-awareness while emphasizing the importance of sharing truth and supporting other women.
Genres: african-american, autobiography, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-journey, social-commentary
Setting: California, Nebraska
Period: 1990s
272 pages · Hardcover · Dey Street Books
Content warnings: sexual-assault