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Title: Useful but rudimentary; like a cliff notes to other thinkers
Review: The phenomenon that is bell hooks is both interesting and necessary. She has popularised political discussion, extending her hand outside of accademia in powerful ways. So why the single star? Because in evaluating a book like this, it is iimportant to evaluate the originality and rigor of a writer/scholar's work. bell hooks is wonderful at one thing: paraphrasing original thinkers, and that is simply inexcusable. Original feminist thinkers on race (many of who hooks shamelessly borrows from) are Toni Cade Bambara, Michelle Wallace, Hazel Carby, Toni Morrison, Angela Davis... there a long list, and bell hooks does not hold up to them under any kind of scrutiny. Her often true assertions are superficially considered and her clumsy prose resembles that of a beginning idealogue, not a careful and crafty writer/thinker.
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