Book CommuniTEA | Bad and Bootleg: Reading a sample of this *interesting* novel [CC]

[@JessOwens]

Sesali Bowen, author of Bad Fat Black Girl, reached out to Jennifer and here’s the exchange: twitter.com/badfatblackgirl/status/1514601783212974093?s=21&t=X50OTiQgmuZdAun7dewzYw . I guess Jennifer added Sesali as a footnote in this book 😒😑

[@jkpiowa]

Loved this book - it taught me so much. This exchange is... ridiculous.

[@mlibbym]

THIS EXCHANGE!!! I can't believe the audacity

[@MarshaFiinesse]

😲

[@annasarchive4189]

Yikes

[@joshuastewart5645]

They only write this stuff cuz they got some black friends. They so want to be us, really trap life we don't glorify being a bad bitch.

[@KittyxKult]

She saw “Hood Feminism” on the bestseller list and thought “I can do that.” She said “I’m not racist, my playlist is black.” 💆🏼‍♀️ I hadn’t heard about Bad Fat Black Girl yet, thanks for the recommendation! Updated to add I cannot handle the way you say “hip hop” when reading her book, it KILLED ME.

[@ChrisWilliamsDallas]

Her beta reader was Rachel Dolezal.

[@esvck]

LMAO 😭🤦🏾‍♀️

[@luvlilocs34]

Haaaaaa!! 😂😂

[@JessOwens]

omfg !!!!! 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂💀😂💀💀💀💀💀 BYE. I DIED

[@ReadingWryly]

😂

[@squidney_ink]

😂😂😂😂

[@blackheartbooks]

“She was born in the ghetto. Raised in the ghetto but she ain’t that ghetto.”🤢 The audacity of this woman

[@LaRosaReads]

Wow. Just wow. I’ve been seeing reactions to this hot mess on social media and I appreciate your response more than any others I’ve seen. As a Black woman with a doctoral degree, I find this woman’s choice to be disgusting. At most, she could have co-written/co-researched this topic with a Black scholar living the experience. Shame on her and the people behind this travesty.

[@formerclarity8836]

Absolutely - it doesn't look like she's publishing within the Academy (unless I missed that), but if she really wanted to publish a systematic study of this type, she should NOT be the only name attached, or even the lead name.

[@JessOwens]

Yes ! If this meant so much to you, why not AT LEAST collaborate with a Black woman???

[@JustTiffers]

“That’s what makes it look like hip-hop” will NEVER get old 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@lindsey8669]

This book sounds like she broke into someone’s house and started charging for tours I don’t even think people need to personally experience something to study or write about it, but something about the framing of this book just feels invasive

[@jkpiowa]

I'm actually Quaker! It's not what people think it is - most people think Amish, and it's definitely not. Quakerism has different varieties, just like Christianity, but the one I practice is atheist. We don't have church, we have Meeting, which is an hour of silence every Sunday. Quakers have a history of actively fighting oppression and helping those in need, even when it was frowned upon or downright illegal. We believe in environmental stewardship, honesty at all costs, and the power of introspection. We don't have a bible, and believing in God is a personal choice. This woman is nonsense, but I do suggest looking into Quakerism if you're curious at all!

[@CastleYonder]

Hi! I’m also a Quaker (and white) since childhood. I actually heard about this nonsense from that angle first and was waiting for it to show up here. I’d agree with most of the above, but would add the context that modern Quakerism suffers a lot from racism. In the US we’re an overwhelming white community that leans heavily on the good we did during the Underground Railroad. Yikes. Basically, as a community we are highly imperfect and struggling to recon with our own issues that include but are not limited too racism.

[@abbylarkspur]

@@CastleYonder one of my friends used to attend meetings, so I know only a little. It makes sense that this would happen. Quakers in general sort of come off as like crunchy granola type shit so that tracks

[@CastleYonder]

@@abbylarkspur you know... you're really not wrong 😅 like I want to argue, but that's just accurate. Though like there is a difference between programmed and unprogrammed Quakers. Like, we're all a problem but the programmed folks are a slightly different flavor.

[@TaniaArpaAndTakaMoritaForever]

I’d never heard of atheist Quakers until now! Thank you so much for sharing, I’m off to find out more about it.

[@ljcarey011]

My grandfather attended a Quaker school and came out fighting BS for the rest of his days. He lied about his age to join the Navy because he saw the anti-Semitism overseas and didn't think he could stay home another minute. (Clearly the pacifist part was the thing that didn't stick!) Then they threatened his job (superintendent) for sitting down with Black students in a peaceful protest. They had to give up on firing him because he had all the kids (including the AH counter protesting white kids) back in class and the situation resolved by the end of the day. He was proof that "being of a certain generation" was a BS excuse for being a bigot. Quakers in general are awesome, but someone needed to sit this lady down and ask her if she was really the person to write this book...

[@ReadswithRachel]

she said "yes im not Black but i strongly believe feminism is for everybody" and subsequently i died inside

[@moustik31]

More like: "Feminism means I can appropriate wich ever marginalised version of it I "enjoy" and make it mine"

[@KittyxKult]

She pulled the “I’m not racist, my playlist is black”

[@JessOwens]

She said “ima do this for my Black female queens” 🤡😭

[@moustik31]

@@JessOwens LMAO!

[@eva.grace.]

the intro alone. PLEASE- she really did wake up one day and thought the world needed this book. the absolute audacity is astonishing.

[@JessOwens]

It’s just so confusing, like what is going on in her head ???

[@CKan-ob5cj]

"I don't know if Jesus needed you to do *this*...but, ok." 🤣😭

[@KittyxKult]

Jesus is up there like “I did not co-sign her I don’t know what she’s talking about.”

[@JessOwens]

Jesus is embarrassed

[@abbylarkspur]

This book's entire vibe is "If you wanted to shine a light on this.... Why didn't you let one of the ppl you supposedly interviewed write this book and edit it and give yourself secondary credit?"

[@Durogic]

Definitely here for the dramatic reading 😅

[@formerclarity8836]

The most generous reading that I can give of this is that it sounds the author was working through some of her own issues with her theology, and where it might be coming into conflict with some ingrained biases that she realized that she held. She saw it, she didn't like it, and wanted to really think through that tension and resolve it. Did this need to be a published book? It did not. Should she have used that cover? Wow, no.

[@fiery_scream]

All of what you said is on point!

[@leafyswords]

Your narration had me cackling but just the second hand embarrassment of her confidently typing this 🤣 also not the Rico Nasty quote… lemme just centre myself and my cHuRcH

[@JessOwens]

Who knew we’d see Rico Nasty and the church on the same page

[@allgirlreview433]

I love it when you spill the tea! Added Bad Black Fat Girl to my TBR. Thank you.

[@the_broken_spine]

Lordt! I can’t even anymore with the 8.5x11s. Once again the decentering of Black voices by a white person. There is not enough goddamn wine in the world to get me through this shenanigans! I say “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” on a regular. And, what is so frustrating is that you know YT folks gonna lap this shit up. It’s gonna be in book club reading lists. Publishers really and truly need to think before they say yeah we’ll publish this.

[@mirrorballmusings]

The second you popped up that cover, oooh that sinking feeling 🤦🏾‍♀️ 😂

[@TheDarshana9]

Just started the video but wanted to say something. Bad Fat Black Girl is amazing, and it has a Spotify playlist.

[@JessOwens]

Yessss

[@linwatts7440]

That tweet @ the end was GREAT. Sums up my feelings & I LUV the vid clip of the Whyte woman "teaching" hip hop dance steps, LOLL. It reminded me of a Bob's Burger episode... Anyway, LUV your CommuniTEA vids, I ALWAYS learn SOO much about the Book community. I've recently begun focusing More of my reading on Feminism & I'll Definitely check out the book U recommended. Thanx Again.

[@Jax-jx5uu]

"it's giving trap - ENTRAPMENT!" 🤣🤣 seriously, this author has some damn nerve!!!

[@stephanieraylove]

JESSSS that damn video clip of the dance teacher 🤣🤣 but no. No ma'am. I am still speechless days later after seeing this book, and I still just have no words

[@JessOwens]

Didn’t you know, she is the pinnacle of hip hop dance ? 🤣

[@stephanieraylove]

@@JessOwens aren't they always 🤣

[@osteophagus]

I was cackling so much during your dramatic reading that I forgot to eat my popcorn. I'm just baffled how she apparently spent so much time researching and "understanding" the Black experience, culture, etc, and it apparently all went so far over her head she still thought that book was a good idea for her to write.

[@ktxx22]

Not the hip hop class breaking in 😂😂😂😂 I spit my water out. I was not ready.

[@JessOwens]

😂😂

[@joubert350]

Not her calling trap queens FEMALES. The fuck 😩

[@JessOwens]

😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

[@stepha7822]

Thank you, I will definitely be checking out Sesali Bowen's book!!

[@JessOwens]

A must read !!

[@sugartub]

As you read that she was a "hip-hop" dance teacher, the exact clip you showed popped into my head. I was dying!!!🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@AnaCarolinaVanzetta]

This woman is giving the MOST Karen vibes ever.

[@tahliae]

I am ALWAYS here for your dramatic readings! You BRING IT! 😂😂😂

[@camcam794]

There is a deaf/ disabled KZbinr, Jessica Kellgren-Fozard who is a Quaker. She has videos on her religion, fashion, sexuality, and life style

[@tinagarcia3571]

Wow just wow! No! UGH! Why do some people think they are experts on things they have no clue about. All I can think is " I have a Black friend" I'm glad they pulled this book but where were the editors in the first damn place.

[@internetself]

Okay, at first I was a little unsure/confused about why it would this big of an issue for the author to write about feminism and feature a black cover model. Then I realised I had no clue what the ‘trap’ in trap feminism meant. After some googling, I now completely understand…and onto the dramatic reading!

[@Katiedora122]

I was very 😲 through the beginning of this, but I lost it at the Quaker bit. I actually grew up in an area with some Quaker-maintained land (aka Spider Gates Cemetery in MA, if you're interested) so I learned a bit about them, but this woman does not make sense to me.

[@roc1763]

This was great. Thank you for the hilarious and truthful analysis.

[@steelcutoaths3033]

Church: Let's elevate BIPOC and Queer voices and hear what THEY have to say about feminism, theology, and how the two can interact. I imagine this started as a paper for seminary and someone encouraged her to make a book out of it. (Either a white male or a white female seminary prof, neither of whom truly understand the issues with a white woman writing about this subject.)

[@BurntToastStars]

Honestly, she could have saved this. She could have written about her own personal experiences in understanding other feminist perspectives. This would be done by talking to ACTUAL trap feminists. It could have been interesting to see her confront her own biases and her experience in addressing them. Instead she wrote this. She sounds like she is trying to take a sociological approach, but she is not qualified to write a sociological study on anything. 🤦‍♀️

[@FrannyPlansandThing]

Jessssssssssssssss! Why did you read it like that?🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Well let me add this to the list of things that I never thought would happen. I can’t wrap my head around this

[@JessOwens]

The voice just happened 🤷🏾‍♀️ I’m sorry 😂😂

[@CoffeeOverApples]

i was hoping you would do this one!

[@Emily-fh8en]

8.5 x 11 giiiirl XD im living for the dramatic reading! "I don't know if jesus needed you to do this..." lol

[@candyjamaican]

The Caucasity of it all!!! Rachel come get your ‘fam’!!

[@katelyn4358]

the 8.5x11 comment! lord my sides

[@JessOwens]

😂😂😂😂

[@RaetheSaint]

I heard it got pulled from publishing because of the controversy and this is honestly the first good thing I’ve heard out of publishing in months 😭

[@samantharose1001]

OMG wtf. She did not. Ordering the audiobook for Bad Fat Black Girl rn!

[@garrulus3399]

The way you read the introduction is probably how I sound to my students, hahahaa

[@spenx09]

The nerve, the gall, the audacity. It's not just writing all of this, it's the publishers, editors, anyone she gave this to read, what are they thinking?

[@moth.03]

13:33 "Oh dear, oh dear" about sums it up

[@Bibliofilth]

"an attempt to de-center my own voice and elevate their narratives" would start with just deleting her Word doc, but she didn't so here we are

[@Bibliofilth]

wait wtf she got GRANT MONEY toward this? i thought it was bad enough when it was just a "i have black friends" white feminist twitter liberal writing this. so it's a FULL on grift, mentally and financially

[@mommys-lil-tortlet]

White people who jump in to these discussions and spaces need to learn what the word Compersion means and practice it. That enjoying something does not mean you need to have a fucking voice in it. Like we can enjoy and respect and be happy that black women and femmes are doing amazing in the music industry and that's that. That's all we gotta do, be happy for them and respect them and support them. That's it!

[@ReadingWryly]

Eek! Forced coalition with uneven power dynamics. Not a good look for Jenny from the Suburbs. 😬

[@t.a.summers]

I shouldn't be stunned, but I am. All kinds and levels of nope. I did enjoy the dramatic reading though. Thanks Jess.

[@baratadefogo7744]

“Not the gospel 🙄” HAHA i need a t-shirt

[@mplbooks]

I didn't know Quakers were still a thing, either, until I met someone who was raised a Quaker a few years back.

[@justpepper5126]

The caucasity is strong with this one.

[@kaywebbharrison3373]

Jess, Excellent presentation! Since neither my husband nor I knew what "trap feminism" might be, he looked it up on line while we watched your video. He also checked out Jennifer Buck. He came across a post on Sojourner that said that Jennifer's publishers have taken her book out of publication. You might want to check this out yourself. Regards, Kay Webb Harrison

[@JessOwens]

I did see the update !

[@angryotter9129]

I’m just like not surprised. The caucasity overfloweth.

[@MxDae]

Wow, just the introduction alone got me going, "Oh, god, please, make it stop!" 😭

[@JGVIllustrations]

Oh my god the CRINGE. Thank you for, as always, spreading awareness. I’m always laughing with you but also shaking my head. Thanks for the recommendation too!

[@mithzelluque4754]

"I REBUKE IT IN THE NAME OF JESUS" jesse, i- aefjawlkfwf 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@slena]

did she even talk with ONE (1) black woman????? does she even know black women im hjifhjgdhjkdhjk this is so tragic

[@JessOwens]

I really don’t think so

[@WildeBookGarden]

I also hate the whole vibe that she like...discovered this connection in topics??? Black women theologians have talked about these intersections for ages and she could have been recommending those works instead of doing this!! Yes to what you said about awareness! I think some writers need a reminder that 'I need to be aware of these issues and incorporate them into my thinking' does not mean 'I need to write a book on these issues as if I was an expert' ...

[@jenhaze]

Bizarre. Just bizarre. I’m from Philly and we have a large Quaker population and I even went to a Quaker school. They are probably some of the coolest 8.5x11 folks you can interact with, but regardless, this book isn’t it! She should have done a collaborative book with a black woman!!

[@emroyka]

Wow. People co-opting so blatantly without stopping to ask themselves, Hey, should I really be doing this? Is this really okay? Shouldn't I instead be supporting and uplifting own voices who have been silenced? Shouldn't I try taking a backseat?...They are contributing first-hand to the very problem they purport to be confronting?!🤡

[@SlantedSpines]

Every time you said "HIP-hop music" 😂

[@lyddie465]

"i don't know if jesus needed you to do this" i laughed so hard, thank you jess.

[@mlibbym]

Wow, what the actual fuck. Bad Fat Black Woman is so so good and I agree, the audio is phenomenal. Why tf would she think her "book" belongs in the same space ew

[@workinprogress3329]

I’m dead at the white lady dance break 💀💀💀

[@valerieholmes9409]

Wow! This was hilarious and well-deserved shade! I hold a doctorate in Womanist Theology. Bye Jennifer!!!!!!

[@ricereads3841]

Nah I know you f*&king lying cause aint no way Jess 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 You got me weak with the reactions

[@akossiwak]

I'm laughing so hard I can't focus on the rest. 🤣🤣🤣

[@joshuastewart5645]

And another thing alot of things they don't understand they try to be the ones to educate us about us, yeah

[@lisalajmo597]

I just searched this and it seems her publisher canceled the book! Like why would they even publish this???

[@pl-te3gd]

Your voice for her is the smart gremlin from Gremlins 2 🤣🤣

[@JessOwens]

😆😆

[@ReadingWryly]

That would be like if you wrote a book about Quakers, Jess. 😂

[@luvlilocs34]

🥴😒🙄Sighhhhhhh… I’m TIYAD!! I’m sooooo incredibly tired of Black experience, thoughts, culture, art, trauma, joy, EVERY AND ANY THING BLACK being used for white gaze, consumption, and monetary gain!! I would be one thing if this woman stayed in her lane and spoke out on a white woman’s understanding of her own connection, or lack of connection, to trap feminism movement. She chose not to. The amount of grant money she got to publish this is sickening.

[@keelinover5584]

I'll take Big Yikes for 1000, Alex.

[@vamps_rock]

👀😲👀😲👀😲👀. Why do these things continue to surprise me? TFS :)

[@andeeharry]

Yeah, this book somehow became best seller on NYC and Times lists.....and they are difficult to get into. Yeah, no wonder people are raging about this, the introduction is a long info dump waffle.

[@babeinlibrary]

Jess, miss ma’am… I cannot be laughing this hard at 10am in an office setting. Whew Chile, this book is flaming dog poo place on our door step. The disrespect. Everyone please go read Bad Fat Black Girl instead!

[@katemchale5753]

I'm Quaker! we still exist! however judging by the fact she's an ordained Quaker minister I'd imagine she's from the evangelical branch of Quakerism, which is more similar to other evangelical Christians, whereas Quakers from other branches are not all Christians and do not have specific ministers (it's all about your own direct relationship with God/religion). it is ridiculous that this woman would take it upon herself to write this book, but unfortunately it doesn't surprise me because Quakers are predominantly white in the US and so there's a lot of ignorance and racism even with well-meaning left-leaning Quakers. thank you for the better book recommendation than Buck's!!

[@jerzeeaj]

I was wondering if you were going to touch on this LMBOOOOOOO. Sis they never let us rest LMBOOOOO I AM HOWLING....Jess you aint worth a damn with that reading LMBOOOO

[@JessOwens]

I’m SORRY THE VOICE JUST HAPPENED 😂

[@msthornback7935]

My thing about all of this is where are the womanist theologians in this text and conversation? Is she really going to talk THIS MUCH about Alice Walker and not even engage with a whole other community of scholarship that is SPECIFICALLY about Black women and theology? Really?!

[@yallratripbye9570]

Jennifer and the entire publishing team are going to hell for this 😐

[@lavonnewalker373]

Oh my Lord…. This women didn’t try that!!

[@parmahmac6073]

I am screaming! 😂The way you read this Jess. Your best white woman (trap) queen valley girl voice🙃 When will this stop happening??How dare she use that beautiful Black woman on her cover. Glad the book was pulled. I have put myself on a monthly book budget, but I will be breaking it and purchasing Bad Fat Black Girl.

[@Rose4229]

I have no words for all of the hilarity in this video 😂. I almost fell out with the 8.5 by 11 comment and the dramatic reading itself was on another level. The whole first part of that chapter was giving me intro to a hood romance. 😂 Unfortunately for the author even though she claims to realize she's privileged, she missed the part where she's continuing the cycle of systemic racism with this book. The fact that she was given a 10k grant to write about black women and specific cultural traits, when those same black women are disenfranchised because of those same traits is insane and harmful. This is why I stick to cozy mysteries. 😅 The foolery smh

[@JessOwens]

$10,000 grant, who approved this !?!?

[@ladytopaz6358]

Somehow this feels like the black experience whitewashed despite her trying not to.

[@tyleachwatkins6726]

Oh I had heard about this but decided to wait until you were going to speak about it! I was not disappointed 😃😃😃. Yeah this book was likely beta tested and they decided that her disclaimer at the beginning would be enough. And they put that picture of a beautiful black woman on the cover to capitalize on BLM related activities. But if you notice, she’s giving the reader the side-eye saying ‘Why the hell are you buying this?!’🤣

[@greynotchristian]

OF COURSE she is a christian

[@JessOwens]

Are we surprised

[@danielle7127]

Not young thug and Rico nasty 🥴😂😭 I literally can’t. Some people are living in different dimensions.

[@JessOwens]

I wish I knew what other quotes she used 😂

[@anishalanghorn2573]

It's the voice and the hip hop dance for me!

[@JessOwens]

😂😂

[@Freefromtoxicity]

I'm reading a book on Black Mental Health. The author, a Black psychologist, spoke of how challenging it is for Black women scholars to get funding for projects/research related to Black people. Yet, it is apparent that some people can get ample support and funding for projects about Black people. After several Black women contacted the publisher of this "trap" book, the copies were taken off the shelves. She used her privilege under the guise of ally-ship. Nobody said anything during the rough draft and editing. Didn't she run this idea by her Black friends?

[@mmorris404]

Non-fiction book author have to pay for their own fact checking.

[@avsambart]

Oh Jennifer oh no.

[@HouseHooligan]

Oh sweet Jesus. I don’t even know what to say except the sheer audacity of white women continues unabated. Smh. “I rebuke it in the name of Jesus,” lol me too, Jess. Bad Fat Black Girl has been on my TBR for a while, and I am bumping it up the list. Thanks for the tip on the audiobook!

[@dylanwickersham5610]

If Ice Cream Star was the Jurassic Park franchise, then this is the Jurassic World franchise. At this point just let the pterodactyls carry me off.

[@JessOwens]

😆😆😆😆😆 take me too!!

[@JessicaJackson-uy8nq]

Did Rachel Dolezal help her write it?

[@JessOwens]

Probz co author

[@jrdeborja0000]

Not even black, but the wording of the authors work sound patronizing...or its just me.

[@lisalajmo597]

Okay- had to come back to add… if you go to Amazon, the “praise” for this book is from a white male (Justin Marc Smith) who is a program chair at the SAME UNIVERSITY where Buck is an associate professor. I mean, what the actually hell?! You couldn’t find anyone else to find positive things to say outside your ONE co-worker… probably a sign you shouldn’t have written this book!

[@MarshaFiinesse]

Interesting. I might have to read the book for myself to see what it is exactly she really wants to say.

[@JessOwens]

Good luck

[@BookmarkChronicles]

I'm so glad you made this. I know we're in for a good time lol

[@JessOwens]

😉