What Mama Couldn't Tell Us About Love: Healing the Emotional Legacy of Slavery, Celebrating Our Light - Hardcover

Richardson, Brenda Lane; Wade, Brenda

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060192968 ISBN 13: 9780060192969

Publisher: Harpercollins, 1999

Synopsis

An exploration of the possibilities of relationships for African-American women discusses the nature of intimacy from within the historical framework of slavery and racism, showing how these patterns have a lasting impact and suggesting methods for overcoming them. Tour.

About this title

Review:

Among the most damaging and unexplored legacies of the transatlantic slave trade are the negative, afrophobic mores and myths that have devastated black male/female relationships. This book by clinical psychologist and Essence magazine contributor Dr. Brenda Wade and coauthor Brenda Lane Richardson examines many of the so-called scarcity beliefs, such as: "There are no good men out there"; "Any man will cheat if he's tempted"; "I'll always be alone"; and so on. What the authors advocate is not only an acceptance of historical burdens but the willingness to express grief and delve into the deep, spiritual wells of one's ancestors. "The only way we can attain freedom," they write, "is by bringing our past into the light of understanding. What's required is a different sort of liberation movement, one that allows us to work through the shame and guilt that keeps us from embracing ourselves." Richardson and Wade offer several life-enhancing beliefs central to self-healing--"God loves me"; "I can make something out of nothing"; "I can make a way when there seems to be no way"; and "My heart will guide me if I listen." An enjoyable and uplifting reading experience, What Mama Couldn't Tell Us About Love offers words of wisdom that women of all hues can use. --Eugene Holley Jr.

About the Author:

Brenda Lane Richardson, the author of Chesapeake Song, is an award-winning journalist and a noted public speaker.

Essence colmnist Dr. Brenda Wade is a clinical psychologist, a well-known television personality, and a popular public speaker who lectures widely across the country.

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About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins
• Publication date: 1999
• ISBN 10: 0060192968
• ISBN 13: 9780060192969
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 241