Bone Black by Bell Hooks
The book Bone Black, which was written by Bell Hooks primarily gives a soft and vivid look in the author’s own childhood experience. The author started off the book by explaining about a certain quilt that her mother entrusted to her. At first, she thought that such quilt was quite special because of course it was her mother who personally gave it to her and that her mother never gave if first to her other sisters. Later on, the author went on describing how the siblings in their family never had a clue that they were not rich until the later part of their lives and during the times that are already growing. They primarily liked certain dolls that they used to play with and the food that they usually eat. All of them never dared to wonder why they did not possess various things that their white neighbors used to have. The sisters frequently complain because when they are going to school they need to walk and that the white kids in their neighborhood are riding on the school bus. All of these experiences, the author though that her family had a pretty normal and simple family (NNDB).
In the following chapters of her book, Bone Black, Bell Hooks lengthily discussed how they were raised by their parents to fear the white people in their community. The siblings in their family, whether young or old were always taught that black individuals like them who highly resembled white people would have a life better in the world. The author, through her childhood was always told by her parents of such statements and that almost every day, it was inculcated to her mind why the white people in their neighborhood are to be feared by her and her other sisters. Additionally, as the author went through her young curious life, she learnt to play the piano, she also learnt that death was indeed something not to be afraid of, and she later on learnt how to use and operate a camera. Given that during that time, some people did not possess any picture boxes or cameras, having one and knowing how to use it is quite a big deal for Bell Hooks. Also, during the time, Bell Hooks love to visit her grandmother’s house when she was making butter, soap, or wine. Her grandmother was the most influential person in her life during that time. The creation Bone Black is one that stitched together various girlhood memories with certain fine threads of innocence. Bell Hooks, who was considered as a woman with feminism intellect presents a powerful feminism account of a child that grew up in the South. A collection of various perceptions and ideas, Bone Black presents the unfolding of the creativity of women and a one strong-spirited child’s adventure towards becoming an epic writer in the society. Bell Hooks gradually understood the role that men and women are playing in the society, as well as the emotional and psychological vulnerability of the children in the society. She also gave new light on a society that is holding the joys and happiness of marriage for men and she strongly condemned any scenarios that silence and oppress women. According to Bell Hooks, the world is a place where oppression can never be absent, the same with discrimination. She also though that writing is her only great breath.
Indeed, all memories can really be considered as an autobiography, but not all autobiographies can be considered as a great memory. Bell Hook’s Bone Black is a kind of book that frees the author from any limits and blocks of expressing one’s self to the readers. This is the main reason why Bell Hooks opted to free herself from the constraints of the conventional format of autobiography because he wanted to freely express to her readers her life, her experiences, and the things she experienced that made her who she is in the present. Also, in the book of Bell Hooks, she strongly explained her purpose in writing Bone Black and that is to add some substance and weight to the inadequate and unfair documentation of the lives of many black girls in the society. Additionally, she noted that, lately, feminism has taken huge interest in studying and analyzing womanhood (Light).
Bone Black is a kind of narrative that is divided into various short sketches which are primarily organized into chapters that talked about the life and experiences of a young black girl. It started on her earliest school days and later on ended on her high school career. Hooks also did some certain innovations on her works in order for it to be more realistic and for it to have enormous impact to its readers. She never included any dates on her work and the only clue about the date can be seen at the end of the book wherein she described the advent of certain school desegregation. In order to add to the dislocatedness of her narrative, she did not mention any names of towns as well, or even states, wherein she grew up and became knowledgeable of the society she was living in. In the book, she also mentioned only few names of the individuals she interacted with including her sisters and her brother.
The book all in all revolved around her experience when she was growing. All the pain she get to experience, from her childhood, during her school days, and even during the times she was already writing. Bell Hooks never failed to impress her readers especially on her book Bone Black. This is because she was able to successfully communicate herself to her readers through explaining to them the various tragedies she went through and the different factors that affected her life and led her to current position in the society- a very versatile writer of today.