When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down

by Joan Morgan

Book Overview

"Morgan has given an entire generation of Black feminists space and language to center their pleasures alongside their politics." --Janet Mock, New York Times bestselling author of Redefining Realness

"All that and then some, Chickenheads informs and educates, confronts and charms, raises the bar high by getting down low, and, to steal my favorite Joan Morgan phrase, bounced me out of the room." --Marlon James,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 068486861X
• ISBN13: 9780684868615
• Release Date: February 2000
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Not Your Mother's Feminism

As I read When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost, I fell in love: with feminism, with author Joan Morgan, and with making a difference in my life and the lives of others.Chickenheads is the new, compelling answer to your mother's feminist ideals. No longer is the issue just about equality; most importantly, it's about respect for all women. Joan Morgan writes with passion, intelligence and humor, and presents common sense answers to topics such as the empowerment of women, the misogyny plaguing hip-hop, the plight of black male-female relationships, and the encouragement of self-love.I found Joan ideas to be refreshing to a world where monogamy is dying, our Black homes are torn apart, and children grow up far too fast. This is a book for not only Black women to read, especially but it's one that should be shared with future generations of African-American girls and boys. They need to learn the concepts of self-love and respect for the opposite sex.Chickenheads is a great stepping stone to repairing our community and our souls.

A necessary book for understanding black womanism

I have bought this book three times now, because my students and friends keep borrowing it and "forgetting" to return it. They love it, and so do all of the black women I know who read it.This book is truly an insightful and elegant attempt to explain the complexity of black womanism (most black women reject feminism, which places gender at the center of an experience, and place race/gender/class at the center, and understand these things mix). She discusses the disgust "strongblackwomen" have for "chickenheads", whose conservative philosophy of using their bodies as a shortcut to monetary and sexual achievement hurts other black women, as we are accused of the same manipulative behavior. She also articulates what most educated black women have thought, over and over again, as we confront black women and men who want our (middle class black women's and black men's)help, but who then criticize us down for being responsible, disciplined, educated, and successful. She also deals with white racism, and how irresponsible people use it to tear down responsible black women.Redtwister's review denigrates her solutions as simplistic and symptomatic of her status as a middle class black women. He calls them "bootstrap" and "Nation of Islam." This reveals his lack of experience with the non-academic black community, and especially with the black inner city. He recommends a class analysis that leads to governmental solutions that just are not going to happen, and does not understand that this work is conscious at all times of "reality" and feasiblity. He does not understand that middle class black men and women are the key to fighting problems in the black community, for they understand the reality, and are the only ones who can fashion realistic solutions from experience. For too long the old jibe about middle class self help and education being oppressive has been used to silence the black middle class from effective discussion and influence. Her discussion of solutions is strong, feasible, and most importantly realistic and proven. Middle class black America has been hard at work at the business of saving poor black America for decades. Morgan's list of solutions not only has a history of common sense and success behind it, but also comes from the one group who has successfully escaped the ghetto. I recommend this book, and hope that the people who it is aimed at (non-academic black women finding their way in the world) read it. Every teenage girl who worships at the House of Lil' Kim and Destiny's Child needs to read this. The true problems with "chickenheads" (the materialism, the refusal to do things the right way, the view of their bodies and sex as cheap ways to manipulate men and gain material goods) hurts other black women as some black men (commercial gangsta rappers) attempt to pin these behaviors on all black women. The chickenheads don't understand that eventually, age and gravity means you need a brain. Too many are left hard and poor at 30, a

She BROKE IT DOWN!!!

This was an incredible book. I had to stop several time and call my friends and quote them paragraphs from this book. She said many of the things I had been thinking and she expressed it in a very moving and personal way. I found her chapter on the STRONGBLACKWOMAN especially good because it captured the essence of many a conversation I'd had with my close friends. I would highly reccomend this book.

Fabulous!

I can't say enough great things about this book! My book club read it last month and after sharing our own favorite highlighted passages, we all agreed that it was a wonderful depiction of the realities and myths facing the hip hop generation. Girlfriend broke it down, sideways, and backwards. I would recommend this book to any young woman or young person for that matter looking for an interesting read. Kudos to Morgan!

A must read 4 all(especially young) African American females

While reading "When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost", by Joan Morgan, I couldn't help but feel like I was being lectured on what it means to truly be a Strong Black Woman. Although I'm of the male gender I felt everything Ms. Joaney Joan Joan was talking about, but I still thought she was to repetitive in some areas, however, I ain't mad at her. This book is very interesting and keep you waiting for the knowledge she's going to kick on the next page. I think all females, the chickenheads, hoodrats, lesbians, churchgirls,professionals,hip-hop feminist,and not to mention the men folk should all read this book to learn a thing or 2 about themselves and about feminism.