“You Are Your Best Thing” isn’t just another book about vulnerability and shame; it’s a heartfelt collaboration between two powerful voices, Tarana Burke and Brené Brown. Their goal? To create a space where Black voices could share their stories of vulnerability, resilience, and healing without fear or judgment.Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement, takes the lead as the primary author of this project. The idea behind this book came after the #SharetheMic campaign in 2020. This happened during a...
Shattered by shame but reborn in resilience
Her life had been colored by shame from an early age. She felt it in her dark skin, broad nose, and body size. As she grew older, shame followed into her identity: for not attending prestigious schools, struggling to provide for her six children from four different men. This shame didn’t just weigh her down emotionally; it manifested physically. And then! One night she woke up bruised and battered – her partner, the father of two of her children, almost...
Foreboding joy is a horror movie for the Black souls
Their horror movie collection, now over three hundred DVDs, is organized by genre: zombies on the top shelf, vampires in the middle, and slashers on the bottom right. For Halloween, they decorate with gray skulls and tombstones instead of pumpkins and orange candles. When the fall weather arrives and the leaves change, they playfully whisper, “The harvest…is near.”This love for horror movies is unusual, but it has taught them to enjoy the thrill of a good scare. After all, most...
Vulnerability isn’t something to be feared but embraced
As a young boy, around five, he couldn't recall who exactly said it or even what was said, but it had made him cry. His tears flowed freely—so freely that he was told, “You’re too sensitive” — a phrase that stuck with him for long, reminding him that he was… odd. And it wasn’t just his open emotions that got him labeled as such. He was a reader! It was VERY unlike a young Black boy growing up in North...
The healing of Black Americans in a society that fails to recognize their humanity
As an adult from Mississippi, Kiese Laymon found himself avoiding light, working and eating in bed, expecting to die tomorrow. This wasn't just quirky behavior—it was a manifestation of deep-seated trauma and anxiety. What fear? The very system meant to help—the medical establishment—was the source of his deepest fears. The irony wasn't lost on him! White doctors, with their cold gazes and dismissive attitudes, became symbols of a society that refused to see his humanity. A cardiologist who missed his...
A Black therapist’s guide to heal from racial trauma
DERAN YOUNG’s son came home from kindergarten crying, “I wish I was white like everybody else.” Because a white classmate refused to play with him, saying, "Brown kids aren’t as fun." Shocked and unsure of how to respond, she initially blamed herself—How she had failed as a mother! She spun into a shame-guilt spiral, "I’m the founder of Black Therapists Rock, for goodness’ sake! I’ve really messed up somewhere along the way if my own kid wants to be white."Later,...
Deny the Strong Black Woman Trope and Embrace Well-being Above All Else
Have you ever written a message to your younger self? Chances are you would have! If not, here’s a chance for you to write one but to your future self because they might need those words more than ever in the moments to come. Here’s one from TARANA BURKE to her future self:Tarana begins with “I want you to stop, breathe, and relax, and keep coming back to this whenever you need to as we move forward.” She asks for...
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Summary
"You Are Your Best Thing" by Brené Brown and Tarana Burke highlights Black voices, addressing vulnerability, shame, and resilience against systemic racism. The collection emphasizes healing through storytelling and reclaiming identity.
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About the Author
Tarana J. Burke has been working at the intersection of racial justice, arts and culture, anti-violence and gender equity for nearly three decades. Fueled by a commitment to interrupt systemic issues disproportionately impacting marginalized people, like sexual violence, particularly for black women and girls, Tarana has created and led campaigns that have brought awareness to the harmful legacies surrounding communities of color. Specifically, her work to end sexual violence has not only exposed the ugly truths of sexism and spoke truth to power, it has also increased access to resources and support for survivors and paved a way forward for everyone to find their place in the movement.
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