This anthology is a gift。 I’m glad it exists。 Shame is so toxic and something that we carry and pass on without ever dealing with it。 This book deals with it in many ways。 Centering the uniqueness of Black shame and trauma is necessary。 My personal favorite essays came from （no surprise） Kiese Laymon， Jason Reynolds， and Jessica J。 Williams。My only critique is that the essays don’t feel rooted or connected to each other。 They’re all so different the book becomes confusing。 What is the tone they This anthology is a gift。 I’m glad it exists。 Shame is so toxic and something that we carry and pass on without ever dealing with it。 This book deals with it in many ways。 Centering the uniqueness of Black shame and trauma is necessary。 My personal favorite essays came from （no surprise） Kiese Laymon， Jason Reynolds， and Jessica J。 Williams。My only critique is that the essays don’t feel rooted or connected to each other。 They’re all so different the book becomes confusing。 What is the tone they were attempting strike。 Some essays are narrative and personal some rely heavily on therapy jargon and terminology。 。。。more