Why am I passionate about this?
Iâm a Philadelphia-based journalist and new author. Iâm the Editor at Large for Philadelphia Magazine and President of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. As an openly Black gay journalist, Iâve headlined for speaking frankly about intersectional issues in society regarding race, LGBTQIA, and pop culture. Such experiences have awakened my consciousness as an underrepresented voice in the media and have pushed me to explore societal topics. My new book The Case for Cancel Culture, published by St. Martin's Press, is my way of staking my claim in the global conversation on this buzzworthy topic.
Ernest's book list on modern-day Black social consciousness
Why did Ernest love this book?
This book proved to me that you can be both funny and brutally honest, insightful and sobering.
Kent, whoâs been a rising star in media, holds back no punches in this gut-wrenching that explores sexuality, body positivity, gender, race, and all of the societal afflictions that come with one learning to embrace themselves unapologetically.
The book not only explores the ideas we already have on such subject matter, but challenges us to rethink everything we often promote as positive affirmation.
Itâs the kind of book you read multiple times as a pathway to becoming a more empathic person to individuals you already thought you understood.
1 author picked Fat Off, Fat On as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
In this disarming and candid memoir, cultural critic Clarkisha Kent unpacks the kind of compounded problems you face when youâre a fat, Black, queer woman in a society obsessed with heteronormativity.
There was no easy way for Kent to navigate personal discovery and self-love. As a dark-skinned, first-generation American facing a myriad of mental health issues and intergenerational trauma, at times Kentâs body felt like a cosmic punishment. In the face of body dysmorphia, homophobia, anti-Blackness, and respectability politics, the pursuit of âhigh self-esteemâ seemed oxymoronic.
Fat Off, Fat On: A Big Bitch Manifesto is a humorous, at times tragic,âŚ