The Body Is Not an Apology The Power of Radical Self-Love

Yes.

Ok this was a drag to read. This book contains almost everything I just can't handle anymore about social justice from a US perspective where absolutely everything concludes to identity politics.

It mixes things in a totally weird way (not homosexuality and kinks are not on the same level), appropriates the word queer to encompass anything « that can't be defined », and offers almost nothing in the end except a vague concept of radical self love which doesn't entail to anything quite clear.

I can understand the appeal, but this whole book is nothing more than the usual speech about self love rebranded with social justice despite its claims.

Community compassion, because you gotta get out of yourself to change the world.

I honestly loved the message behind this book and identify so whole-heartedly with a lot of its philosophy. I wish it came from a more analytical perspective because my logical brain loves it some good stats, but I nonetheless enjoyed the narrative and writing style.

I listened to this via audiobook and am going to purchase a copy for my collection as I would no doubt benefit from revisiting the tools and unapologetic inquiries to forge ahead with my own journey of radical self-love.

I agree with what another reviewer remarked, this book would be perfect for a discussion group among friends. It would open the floodgates of vulnerabilities and opportunities of honest self-reflection that everyone would benefit to experience. There's so many experiences of self-doubt and shame that we internalize and don't take the time to dismantle the shelf we've stored them all on because we've compartmentalized our minds and we're too lazy to do some necessary cleaning.

This review can also be found on my blog.

Systems [of oppression] do not maintain themselves; even our lack of intervention is an act of maintenance.

This was a nice read that focused on what Sonya has dubbed “radical self-love.” The messages embedded in it are deeply important and focus on breaking down “the belief that there is a hierarchy of bodies.” It was quite inspiring to read and made me want to work harder on changing the belief systems cemented within our culture. At times, the book felt a little too structured and, well, self-help-y, but it wasn't really much of an issue. It's also an extremely fast read. All-in-all, I'd definitely recommend this book as a jumping off point for leaning more into body positivity.