Real Lives of Strong Black Women: Transcending Myths, Reclaiming Joy

In this warm, sensitive, and straightforward self-help guide for African American women, Toby Thompkins explores the struggles and lessons necessary to transcend the stereotypes and overcome the consequences of being a “Strong Black Woman.” Culled from interviews with black women (and black men) from all walks of life, the personal stories Thompkins uses to illustrate his ideas and communicate his healing message illustrate the costs involved in measuring up to this mythic image. Too often, as Thompkins illustrates, women of color feel compelled to become “chronic caregivers,” sacrificing their ability to become truly free and fulfilled individuals. Through the wisdom garnered from the stories of these different women’s experiences, and his own compassionate, insightful analysis, Thompkins offers effective strategies by which women of any color can create lives characterized by new dimensions of fulfillment, love, and joy.