Longing to Tell Black Women Talk About Sexuality and Intimacy [Paperback]

In a culture driven by sexual and racial imagery, very few honest conversations about race, gender, and sexuality actually take place. In their absence, commonly held perceptions of black women as teenage mothers, welfare recipients, mammies, or exotic sexual playthings remain unchanged. For fear that telling their stories will fulfill society's implicit expectations about their sexuality, most black women have retreated into silence. Tricia Rose seeks to break this silence and jump-start a dialogue by presenting, for the first time, the sexual testimonies of black women who span a broad range of ages, levels of education, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Both brilliantly conceived and sensitively executed,Longing to Tellis required reading for anyone interested in issues of race and gender.

Tricia Roseis a professor of American studies at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The author ofBlack Noise: Rap MusicandBlack Culture in Contemporary America, she lives in California.

A powerful and pioneering work. For the first time we hear the painful and poignant voices of black women in all their humanity and complexity. Do not miss this pathblazing book! Cornel West, University Professor of Religion, Princeton University

Heartbreaking, inspiring, and brutally honest...as compelling as it is sorely needed. Publishers Weekly

[Tricia Rose] reminds us of the transformative power of conversation in her terrific collection of oral histories.... like great conversation, the book is provocative and inspiring....The integration of scholarship and accessible conversation rests largely in Rose's curiosity, her delight in discovery. Adrian Nicole LeBlanc, Newsweek

Heartrending stuff...There are gems of stories here, rich details amid tales of heartbreaking loss. The Washington Post

A landmark book...bound to be a classic of its kind: it dispels myths, stereotypes, and tlc!