No Thanks - Black, Female, and Living in the Martyr-Free Zone

In essays written with humor and wit, Kendrick reimagines what it means to be "a good black woman"-from women choosing never to have children to mothers regretting their choice to have them, from being a lonely black atheist to conquering loneliness as a single woman in a foreign country-and, in the process, challenges the expectation that black women serve as noble martyrs or sacrificial lambs.

About the author

A New Orleanian by birth and New Yorker by choice, Keturah Kendrick has been penning insights about life at the intersection of race and gender for a decade. Aside from her popular blog, Yet Another Single Gal, she has written for The Unfit Christian, The Not Mom, NonParents, and numerous publications. A practicing Nichiren Buddhist and steadfast humanist, Kendrick seeks to widen the narrative of good black womanhood. Much of her work normalizes and celebrates the black woman who exists outside of the beloved box of gleeful sufferer of fools who sacrifices self for the greater good. She has lived on three different continents and visited dozens of countries. Her travels across the globe have shown her that patriarchy and the worship of whiteness are worldwide illnesses. She should have written No Thanks years ago. It is long overdue.

Summary

In essays written with humor and wit, Kendrick reimagines what it means to be “a good black woman”—from women choosing never to have children to mothers regretting their choice to have them, from being a lonely black atheist to conquering loneliness as a single woman in a foreign country—and, in the process, challenges the expectation that black women serve as noble martyrs or sacrificial lambs.

Foreword

• Traveling book club(s) in which groups of black women discuss the themes within the book in popular destinations like The Caribbean and Central/South America

• Readings at independent bookstores in NYC: Blue Stockings, Greenlight, Café Con Libros.

• Readings at Busboys and Poets in Washington, D.C, as well as other community-based institutions that are not formal bookstores.


• Readings at a literary venue in Shanghai and a women’s writing group in Hong Kong just before the pub date.

• Facebook Live discussions with groups such as Childfree of the African Diaspora, Secular Sisters, African Americans for Humanism, Black Americans Living Abroad (when applicable utilizing the Facebook Live sessions to host offline readings and discussions).

• Targeting Essence Magazine, Slate, Vogue, Bitch, Elle, and The Feminist Wire for reviews.

• Targeting several BookTube channels whose viewing audience are between 500–1000 people, indie blogs like Singlegirlsrock.com, and mid-list brands like For Harriet, The Not Mom, NonParents, etc., for features/reviews.

Additional text

2020 CIBA Hearten Book Awards Finalists

"If you are interested in reading a candid, courageous, feminist portrait of what it means to live as a free black woman, No Thanks is a must read. Keturah Kendrick explores a broad range of themes that are compelling and heartfelt—relationships, friendship, marriage, motherhood, living outside the US, resisting gender norms/scripts . . . and much more. Enter and savor the gift!"

—Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies at Spelman College and editor of Words of Fire: An Anthology of African American Feminist Thought

"Black women do not need permission to live out loud. But sometimes we need assurance—confirmation that we are free, despite persistent attempts to make us otherwise. No Thanks is a powerful assurance. All young black women should read it; old ones, too. With this book, Keturah Kendrick powerfully illustrates the radical notion that black women can have abundant, fulfilling, and connected lives, powered by our own humanity and desires. This is the revolution and the revolutionary that we need now."

—Tamara Winfrey-Harris, author of The Sisters Are Alright: Changing the Broken Narrative of Black Women in America

"As a named 'pioneer' in the child-free lifestyle, I devoured this book. It’s the icing on the cake for truly understanding what a black woman faces when she announces she never wants to have or raise children. It’s similar to what anyone faces, but with more clarity to the distinct social expectations of her culture and race. I loved learning, although I winced many times from the ignorance and imposed expectations."

—Marcia Drut-Davis, author of Confessions of a Childfree Woman

"No Thanks presents a unique narrative of the single woman. Kendrick could have been married, but she chose not to be. She owns this and other nontraditional choices, utterly unapologetically. This book will stay with you. While you are reading it, it will feel like fun. You will have laugh-out-loud moments. But No Thanks goes way beyond mere entertainment. It is wise. It is profound. It just may change your life."

—Bella DePaulo, author of How We Live Now: Redefining Home and Family in the 21st Century

"As women, we so often focus on our due dates for what society deems as success instead of using our time to find our own happiness in ourselves. I challenge you to do what Ms. Kendrick did: Become braver versions of yourselves to discover your own happiness."

—Single Girls Rock

"A book for women (and some men), particularly those seeking to forge a different path for themselves, away from what is often termed ‘normal’."

—Nonparents.com

"No Thanks will challenge anyone who has only ever seen the world as black and white, bringing much-needed color into their lives. Filled with relatable stories, wit, and thought provoking essays, Kendrick’s memoir is an eye-opening book for the conventional, and a comforting source of healing and empowerment for the offbeat black women who have been relentlessly judged or exiled due to speaking their own truth and following their soul’s deepest desires."

—Jaro magazine

Product details

• Authors: Keturah Kendrick
• Publisher: Ingram Publishers Services
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 18.06.2019
• EAN: 9781631525353
• ISBN: 978-1-63152-535-3
• No. of pages: 184
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Commentary & Opinion, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Essays