Non-Fiction Friday: Hood Feminism

Author: Mikki Kendall Title: Hood Feminism: Notes From the Women That a Movement Forgot Publisher: Viking Date Published: 02/25/2020

Read Dates: 03/08/2026- 03/13/2026
Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This was my non-fiction pick for March.

Hood Feminism is a nonfiction book that addresses the topic of intersectional feminism with a focus on marginalized communities, specifically Black women in the US. It consists of 18 chapters that include history, commentary on current events, data, and stories from the author's life and experiences. The book addresses the expected topics commonly associated with feminism: solidarity, reproductive rights, and allyship, but also dives deep into topics that are often overlooked and need more attention from feminism as a whole, such as gun violence, housing, education, hunger, and more.

I am definitely glad I read this one. Being a feminist is something that is important to me, and I am trying to be very deliberate when choosing books on the topic to read to make sure I am embracing intersectional feminism, to broaden my knowledge outside my personal experiences and the issues that most directly impact me. Many of the topics Mikki Kendall addressed in this book are topics I have read about before, but not as feminist issues, and it gave me a lot to think about and consider. I will be reading more from this author in the future for sure!

Today's feminist movement has a glaring blind spot, and paradoxically, it is women. Mainstream feminists rarely talk about meeting basic needs as a feminist issue, argues Mikki Kendall, but food insecurity, access to quality education, safe neighborhoods, a living wage, and medical care are all feminist issues. All too often, however, the focus is not on basic survival for the many, but on increasing privilege for the few. That feminists refuse to prioritize these issues has only exacerbated the age-old problem of both internecine discord and women who rebuff at carrying the title. Moreover, prominent white feminists broadly suffer from their own myopia with regard to how things like race, class, sexual orientation, and ability intersect with gender. How can we stand in solidarity as a movement, Kendall asks, when there is the distinct likelihood that some women are oppressing others?