No Shelf Control

By Ruby Hamad

I’ve felt for a while now that feminism often overshadows the fight to create a society that truly treats women of color equally. I was never sure if those thoughts were valid or shared by others. But this book spoke those truths. And yikes, feeling this seen feels pretty amazing.

This book isn’t perfect, but I’ve realized books about race will always have their own gaps. And honestly, that just made it more powerful to me. Even with the things that made me pause, I was still so moved I gave it 5 stars.

At first, I was a little turned off by the way Hamad mainly distinguishes between Black and Brown people of color. She explicitly states that anyone who isn’t Black or white falls into the “Brown” category. But eventually, I realized something pretty powerful. Maybe it doesn’t matter that you aren’t technically Brown, because in society’s eyes, that’s all you might ever be truly seen as. Not Black. Not white. So being Brown makes sense — even if it is just an easy label that doesn’t quite fit.

And that’s where Hamad’s strength really shows. Far too often, books about race try to cover every single aspect at once, and the result is usually a surface-level take that doesn’t do justice to anyone. Hamad doesn’t do that. By keeping her focus sharp, she’s able to dig deeper into the ways white feminism betrays Black and Brown women.

I also noticed there wasn’t much on how Asian women are betrayed by white feminism. At first, I wanted that piece of the story to be more clearly spelled out. But then I realized I don’t necessarily want other people declaring Asian history for us. I want us to be able to speak up and share our own perspectives, so we’re not misrepresented. While I’d love to see more of that connection made, I’m okay with Hamad focusing on her lens. Because at the end of the day, it reminds me that each community should tell its own story. Its own history. And its own experiences.

And that’s what makes this book hit so hard for me. Hamad doesn’t try to cover everything, but what she does choose to focus on is powerful. This book made me feel seen, challenged me, and gave me a lot to think about. I definitely recommend checking it out.

P.S. I closed my book to write this 😉