Structure

Jerkins' essays are organized according to her physical, spiritual, and intellectual growth as a black woman. She begins her collection with stories about her girlhood and youth, her coming of age in Princeton, her move to Harlem and experiences as a new writer among other black women writers. Not only does she describe her coming of age, but also her understanding of black womanhood throughout her life. Before Princeton, she saw whiteness as the beauty standard and ideal, and describes how she was indoctrinated by society to devalue blackness. Her entrance into Princeton marks a pivotal moment in her life, when she could accept her natural beauty and discovered her talents as a writer. Finally, her move to Harlem coincides with the development of her ideas concerning black womanhood, the acceptance of her body and mind, and her incursion into her career as a writer.

Throughout the...