The Body Is Not an Apology, Second Edition: The Power of Radical Self-Love

The Body Is Not an Apology, Second Edition: The Power of Radical Self-Love

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-02-15 04:14:32
  • Update Date：2025-09-07
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Sonya Renee Taylor
  • ISBN：9781523090990
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle

Editor Reviews

This book took my breath away。 It’s an unexpected and urgent embrace of truth。”
—Brené Brown， Ph。D。， author of the New York Times #1 bestseller， Dare to Lead 

“Poet and activist Taylor （A Little Truth on Your Shirt） packs important ideas into this concise volume on body empowerment。 “Radical self-love is not a destination you are trying to get to; it is who you already are，” she counsels…The author’s sensible and empathetic tone will lend comfort to readers and help them to see that no matter what their body type， they are beautiful。”
—Publishers Weekly

“The Body Is Not an Apology wrestles you free from the habit of your shame and declares you whole， right now， just as you are。 To follow its revelations and teachings leaves you different on the other side and undoubtedly more yourself。”
—Prentis Hemphill， founder and Director， The Black Embodiment Initiative

“From the moment I met Sonya Renee， I knew my life， my world， and the way I view myself and others around me would never be the same。 The Body Is Not an Apology is essential reading for those of us who crave understanding and those who are already on the path to learning how beautiful and complex our bodies are。 It will empower you with the tools to navigate a world that is often unkind to those of us who whether by choice or design don’t adhere to society’s standard of beauty。 Her words will echo in your heart， soul， and body just as they have in mine。”
—Tess Holliday， plus model， author， and founder of Eff Your Beauty Standards

“The Body Is Not an Apology is a gift， a blessing， a prayer， a reminder， a sacred text。 In it， Taylor invites us to live in a world where different bodies are seen， affirmed， celebrated， and just。 Taylor invites us to break up with shame， to deepen our literacy， and to liberate our practice of celebrating every body and never apologizing for this body that is mine and takes care of me so well。 This book cracked me open in ways that I’m so grateful for。 I know it will do the same for you。” 
—Alicia Garza， cocreator of the Black Lives Matter Global Network and Strategy + Partnerships Director， National Domestic Workers Alliance

“The Body Is Not an Apology is a radical， merciful， transformational book that will give you deep insights， inspiration， and concrete tools for launching the revolution right inside your own beloved body。 Written from deep experience， with a force of catalytic energy and so much love。”
—Eve Ensler， author of The Vagina Monologues and In the Body of the World

“In 2017， #thefirsttimeisawmyself was a trending hashtag and Netflix campaign。 As a disabled woman， #thefirsttimeireadmyself may well have been this book。 Thank you， Sonya。 Bought two copies， one for me and one for my daughter。”
—Rebecca Cokely， Senior Fellow for Disability Policy， Center for American Progress， disability rights activist， and mom 

“Sonya Renee Taylor is a treasure that this world simply does not deserve。 The Body Is Not an Apology is the gift of radical love the world needs！ We are all better off because of her presence， talent， compassion， and authentic work。 Thank you， Sonya， for all that you do。”
—Jes Baker， aka The Militant Baker， author of Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls

“In these times， when the search for answers to the mounting injustices in our world seems to confound us， Sonya Renee Taylor offers a simple but powerful place to begin: recovering our relationship with our own bodies。 To build a world that works for everyone， we must first make the radical decision to love every facet of ourselves。 Through lucid and courageous self-revelation， Taylor shows us how to realize the revolutionary potential of self-love。 ‘The body is not an apology’ is the mantra we should all embrace。”
—Kimberlé Crenshaw， legal scholar and founder and Executive Director， African American Policy Forum

From the Publisher

Reviews

SInnis ，

This book is a refreshing view on how we can each work to achieve self-love， and it isn't solely an individual journey。 We have to choose to see others - all bodies - with love and compassion and grace。 This thought stretches to body image， body size， race， gender， sexual orientation and more。 Sonya Renee Taylor asks thought-provoking questions that provides for self-reflection into our own body beliefs。 I enjoyed these questions and through them learned new insights。 My eyes are open to the many ways in which we are told by our inner judge， society， media and the news that our bodies， or certain bodies， are wrong。 These thoughts and societal norms are not right！ No body is wrong。 We might be different， but all bodies are beautiful。 The very last section of the book is on the topic of Grace， and I think it needs to be read by everyone。 If you could read only one section of this book it should be this one。 Thank you to NetGalley and Berret-Koehler Publishers for the advanced reader copy of this book。 I’m grateful to have read such an eye and inner-world opening book！

Noah Mendez ，

This book was good， I think I'm still processing it too much to actually give a full on review This book was good， I think I'm still processing it too much to actually give a full on review 。。。more

ur mom ，

*4。5

Nikki ，

I feel more whole having read this book。 Thank you。

Willow Bryn ，

Sonya Renee Taylor’s writing is conversational and incredibly intelligent。 She makes a plethora of points， each one radical and insightful。 She references metaphor and utilizes her expansive vocabulary with a shameless and compelling ease。 The text is so easy to follow， it makes one almost confused at the fact that the concepts can be so difficult to actually put into practice。 She confronts internalized bias， how the world has impacted our relationships with each other and ourselves。 With a bri Sonya Renee Taylor’s writing is conversational and incredibly intelligent。 She makes a plethora of points， each one radical and insightful。 She references metaphor and utilizes her expansive vocabulary with a shameless and compelling ease。 The text is so easy to follow， it makes one almost confused at the fact that the concepts can be so difficult to actually put into practice。 She confronts internalized bias， how the world has impacted our relationships with each other and ourselves。 With a brilliant approach to her writing， her words are conveyed as intellectual and opinionated without any underlying tones of lecture。 Quite frankly， I think we all could use a lecture on the many topics she presented: ableism， fat phobia， racism， homophobia， transphobia。 Her style is absolutely perfect for this type of text， reinforcing her fundamental points until the reader has no choice but to confront them。 While reading this （especially in the earlier parts of the book）， I came across so many quotes that I wanted to write down that I had to resolve myself to ignore that feeling and read on。 I did so by reminding myself that the text is fairly short， and I can easily return to it。 As early as page two I found myself sending friends messages including excerpts from the book。 Sonya Renee Taylor’s writing is both humorous and humbling。 The body is not an apology。 Basically， if you。。。 ya know。。。 have a body — then I recommend this book。 。。。more

ChhowaT ，

"Radical self-love is honoring how we are all products of a rigged system designed to keep us stuck in stigma and shame。 The only way to beat that system is by giving ourselves something the system never will: compassion。" "Radical self-love is honoring how we are all products of a rigged system designed to keep us stuck in stigma and shame。 The only way to beat that system is by giving ourselves something the system never will: compassion。" 。。。more

Katherine G。 MacRae ，

If you're black read this book。 If your LBGTQ2S read this book。 If you are an immigrant or of any other nationality other than white read this book。 If you are white， most definitely read this book as it is time （long overdue） to open your ears， your eyes and your heart。Kudos to Sonya Renee Taylor for exposing the too often hidden or ignored truth。 If you're black read this book。 If your LBGTQ2S read this book。 If you are an immigrant or of any other nationality other than white read this book。 If you are white， most definitely read this book as it is time （long overdue） to open your ears， your eyes and your heart。Kudos to Sonya Renee Taylor for exposing the too often hidden or ignored truth。 。。。more

Nicoswan ，

A beautiful book from a beautiful person。 Committing to change in this way is so complicated and Sonya Renee Taylor makes the journey a little lighter and brings focus to our goals。 Thank you for writing this book！

Sandra ，

A book that fell into my hands when I most needed it to。

Judy ，

I read this for the 2021 Popsugar Challenge prompt "a book that discusses body positivity"。 It was way more inclusive than I expected。 Although it starts out talking about fat shaming and loving your own body， it went on to talk about other body related issues including ableism， racism， ageism and various LBGTQIAA+ issues。 I didn't relate very personally to the topic since I really haven't felt like I have been fat shamed in my life， despite having gained and lost weight over time。 But I did fin I read this for the 2021 Popsugar Challenge prompt "a book that discusses body positivity"。 It was way more inclusive than I expected。 Although it starts out talking about fat shaming and loving your own body， it went on to talk about other body related issues including ableism， racism， ageism and various LBGTQIAA+ issues。 I didn't relate very personally to the topic since I really haven't felt like I have been fat shamed in my life， despite having gained and lost weight over time。 But I did find a lot to think about in some of the other issues。 3。5 stars 。。。more

Lewis Rimá ，

Poderoso。

Kendra Mills ，

Big thanks to @netgalley and @bkpub for providing a digital review copy。Everyone should read this book！ I found myself shouting "yes！" multiple times while I was reading， and I highlighted so many passages in every chapter。 Sonya Renee Taylor explores the intersections between self-love and social justice， and explains why we cannot pursue social justice without first examining our relationship with our own bodies。 What I loved most was that Taylor discusses radical-self love as an abstract conc Big thanks to @netgalley and @bkpub for providing a digital review copy。Everyone should read this book！ I found myself shouting "yes！" multiple times while I was reading， and I highlighted so many passages in every chapter。 Sonya Renee Taylor explores the intersections between self-love and social justice， and explains why we cannot pursue social justice without first examining our relationship with our own bodies。 What I loved most was that Taylor discusses radical-self love as an abstract concept while also providing step-by-step advice about how to apply the concepts she outlines。 I will be recommending this book for years to come！ 。。。more

Tomes And Textiles ，

This book was exactly what I needed in this very moment。 Empowering and impactful。 Full review to come soon。

Megan ，

Ableism， sexism， racism， transphobia， homophobia- this book works to dismantle it all！ Sonya is so passionate about making sure we understand that no body is wrong and the book challenges our beliefs in surprising ways。 Run/walk/wheel/etc to this book immediately。 It’s not about accepting your body， it’s about realizing you shouldn’t have to。

Laurie Wong Roberts ，

Just finished reading this amazing book which was difficult， yet enlightening。 It truly holds a mirror up that you cannot ignore。A must read- made me think， and feel， so many things。 Working on my #RadicalSelfLove。 Thank you， Sonya Renee Taylor， for creating the mirror and holding it up， in turn helping me to hold my true self up so that I can support others in the journey， some day。

Mariah ，

I was pleasantly surprised by this book。 Sonya Renee Taylor is quick to anticipate the reader's doubts and questions as she details her journey and tools on radical self-love。 She offers some startling statistics， relevant anecdotes， and a fantastic list of additional resources from racial， disability， and queer justice advocates。 With an extreme self-awareness， she doesn't overpromise this book as an end all and be all on these topics。 She challenges the reader to examine within and use this as I was pleasantly surprised by this book。 Sonya Renee Taylor is quick to anticipate the reader's doubts and questions as she details her journey and tools on radical self-love。 She offers some startling statistics， relevant anecdotes， and a fantastic list of additional resources from racial， disability， and queer justice advocates。 With an extreme self-awareness， she doesn't overpromise this book as an end all and be all on these topics。 She challenges the reader to examine within and use this as a stepping stone to unlocking one's potential in not only practicing self-love， but dismantling the oppressive systems that every body is subjected to。 This is a great supplementary read to pick up after finishing Roxane Gay's Hunger。 Thank you NetGalley and Berrett-Koehler Publishers for the advanced copy！ 。。。more

Carmensutra ，

I WAS NOT READY TO FEEL THIS POWERFUL。 Full review coming soon， but， needless to say， this was a very empowering read that has me reflecting on so much in my life。

Katie ，

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this copy; for me this fits right into the realm of things I’m interested in。 That being said; it was quite a task to read。 It read like a textbook and for some I’m sure that’s a turn off; but the subject is wildly important so do your best to push through it。 Imagine it being radical to love your body？ Imagine knowing you are deemed as less than because of your weight， your skin， your gender， your sexual orientation; all topics discussed in this boo Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for this copy; for me this fits right into the realm of things I’m interested in。 That being said; it was quite a task to read。 It read like a textbook and for some I’m sure that’s a turn off; but the subject is wildly important so do your best to push through it。 Imagine it being radical to love your body？ Imagine knowing you are deemed as less than because of your weight， your skin， your gender， your sexual orientation; all topics discussed in this book， with prompts and questions throughout the book you’re able to take notes， evaluate your own internalized phobias and grow as the wonderful human you are。 。。。more

Izzy Bristol ，

I cannot praise this book enough！ I stumbled across this book through following Sonya Renee Taylor on Instagram and decided to give it a read as I really enjoy her content。 In this book， Sonya does an absolutely fantastic job of tackling the difficult subjects of racism， ableism， sexism， homophobia， fat phobia， and xenophobia through the simple concept of the body。As she mentions in her book， “Everybody has a body” and therefore every interaction of love or hate in this world is directed at our I cannot praise this book enough！ I stumbled across this book through following Sonya Renee Taylor on Instagram and decided to give it a read as I really enjoy her content。 In this book， Sonya does an absolutely fantastic job of tackling the difficult subjects of racism， ableism， sexism， homophobia， fat phobia， and xenophobia through the simple concept of the body。As she mentions in her book， “Everybody has a body” and therefore every interaction of love or hate in this world is directed at our bodies。 Sonya steps through explaining concept around body perception， how to live your life in radical self-love of your body， and how that radical self-love permeates in the world around you， all while adding humor， stories， and personality you won’t get in any other book you read。 If I could give this 10 stars I would。 Definitely going on my favorites shelf and one I’ll return to again。 If you are looking for a book to change your perspective of yourself and those in the world around you in a brighter light- this is it。 。。。more

Robyn G。 ，

Right off the bat I can say this is the first self help book I’ve read that really has helped me。 I love that this book isn't simple， wear what you want， get that haircut or don’t listen to the haters。 Sonya really goes into it all when it comes to body shaming， mentioning things you wouldn’t even think of when talking about your body。 I think what is great about this book is the mentions of all the types of bodies。 POC bodies， trans bodies and even disabled bodies， no one was left out of this b Right off the bat I can say this is the first self help book I’ve read that really has helped me。 I love that this book isn't simple， wear what you want， get that haircut or don’t listen to the haters。 Sonya really goes into it all when it comes to body shaming， mentioning things you wouldn’t even think of when talking about your body。 I think what is great about this book is the mentions of all the types of bodies。 POC bodies， trans bodies and even disabled bodies， no one was left out of this book。 There were experiences of different people throughout to give the reader a different perspective then what they’re used to。 I really liked hearing these stories that weren’t only from Sonya’s POV but from people she met and talked to。 The perspective of this book wasn’t only just focused on Sonya’s journey， but instead like a walkthrough of things she did and information that is important to know before you truly start to accept your own body。Also throughout the book she asks you questions that revolve around the section you’re reading so those were interesting to answer and look over how your life and thought process is。 I wrote them all out on a separate word doc and then proceeded to answer （one of the main reasons I took so long to complete this book） but each question she asks I felt was detrimental to really starting your own journey。I think when it comes to self help books about body positivity， this is the way to go。 I think there are useful conversations being opened and certain topics finally having light shed upon them。 Personally I haven’t read another book like this so I was happy to finally get to this one。 Also this cover is just breathtaking。 。。。more

Katsmewsings ，

Phenomenal！ So much more than what I was expecting。 I figured it was another useful tome on loving your body but it's not。 It's about understanding all our intersectionality and providing space for ourselves as a whole， in our complexities， and helping us find and cultivate the grace needed to live authentic lives。 I highly recommend。 Phenomenal！ So much more than what I was expecting。 I figured it was another useful tome on loving your body but it's not。 It's about understanding all our intersectionality and providing space for ourselves as a whole， in our complexities， and helping us find and cultivate the grace needed to live authentic lives。 I highly recommend。 。。。more

Nicole Roth ，

I really loved this！ The audiobook version is great since it is read by Taylor herself。 I love the ideas in here and how Taylor digs deeper into body image issues to go beyond body positivity。 This book also reminded me of a lot of unresolved issues I have around how I see my body and how I processed parts of growing up。 This is a must read for anyone who is thinking more critically about body positivity and wants to explore ideas about radical self-love。

Tess Blanch ，

This is an important book， with so many information you can learn from， how to start radical self love and stop body shaming and body terrorism to yourself and eventually extending it to other people。 There are also resources with organizations where help is needed regardless of contribution。 I appreciate the author’s advocating radical self love and looking for ways in which to dismantle fatphobia， ableism and racial inequity。 But I find it too heavy words that I’m zoning out on some parts。 Des This is an important book， with so many information you can learn from， how to start radical self love and stop body shaming and body terrorism to yourself and eventually extending it to other people。 There are also resources with organizations where help is needed regardless of contribution。 I appreciate the author’s advocating radical self love and looking for ways in which to dismantle fatphobia， ableism and racial inequity。 But I find it too heavy words that I’m zoning out on some parts。 Despite its 130 pages， there are so many to take in and learn。 I’ve earn quite a few and want to practice it myself。Thank you NetGalley and FSB Associates for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 The Body Is Not An Apology， Second Edition is out today Feb 9。 。。。more

Tess Blanch ，

This is an important book， with so many information you can learn from， how to start radical self love and stop body shaming and body terrorism to yourself and eventually extending it to other people。 There are also resources with organizations where help is needed regardless of contribution。 I appreciate the author’s advocating radical self love and looking for ways in which to dismantle fatphobia， ableism and racial inequity。 But I find it too heavy words that I’m zoning out on some parts。 Des This is an important book， with so many information you can learn from， how to start radical self love and stop body shaming and body terrorism to yourself and eventually extending it to other people。 There are also resources with organizations where help is needed regardless of contribution。 I appreciate the author’s advocating radical self love and looking for ways in which to dismantle fatphobia， ableism and racial inequity。 But I find it too heavy words that I’m zoning out on some parts。 Despite its 130 pages， there are so many to take in and learn。 I’ve earn quite a few and want to practice it myself。Thank you NetGalley and FSB Associates for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review。 The Body Is Not An Apology， Second Edition is out today Feb 9。 。。。more

Mandy Hazen ，

This book takes an empathetic approach and gives bite size approaches and allows you to have kindness and patience with yourself when dealing with life。 This is so necessary for everyone to read in life。 Highly recommend。 Especially loved the reflection to true life to humanize my feelings and relate。 I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。

Danielle Rivera ，

4。5

Roxie |The Book Slayer| Voorhees ，

A quick read into the power of self-love。 Pieces seemed redundant， but overall a great reminder to unleash my power within。

Barrett ，

If you have a body， you should read this book。 The need for radical self-love resonates deeply with me and her writing of it is beautiful and frank。 What I adore about this book is how Taylor shows that radical self love is not just about being unapologetically ourselves， but how radical self love applies to the big issues we face as humans and as societies of humans。 She gives a road map to practicing radical self-love and allowing us to “expansively” be ourselves。 The body is not an apology。

Jennifer Dawkins ，

Wanted to love this but I am sorry I can’t be ok with obesity！ To be clear I am not someone who aspires for thin ness nor do I admire skinny ！ I believe in health and recognize people can be healthy and larger but that is not what I feel this author alludes to。

Janelle ，

Loved it！This is a book I will return to again and again whenever I need to reflect， be unapologetically inquired， or listen to radical self love。

Kalimorgan ，

First half was three stars， second half four stars。 A lot of good comments about non-duality and grace。 I found the audiobook on Hoopla， and the author narrated it。