Review: Twisted: The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture by Emma Dabiri
Twisted, also published as Don't Touch my Hair, is a nuanced and informative book on the history of Black hair culture. This book dives into hair care, community, political ramifications, and the rich history of Black hair. Dabiri has a wonderful and accessible presentation that is densely packed with information and analysis.
I don't have a lot of practice reviewing books that feel very academic, I typically didn't review any books I read for university, and so much of this book's style reminded me of my favorite things I read for school. I particularly loved chapters 3, 4, and 5, which cover the history of Black hair culture, Black hair and feminism, and Black hair and political movements. Dabiri's writing is so engaging and absolutely fascinated me throughout reading.
I spent some of my time reading this book listening to the audiobook, which was wonderfully narrated by the author; I would frequently switch back to the physical book to highlight passages I wanted to come back to in the future.
Dabiri's book thoroughly covers the personal and political surrounding Black hair, looking at hair outside of the western framework as well as diving into feminist analysis and an anti-capitalist look at both Black hair and Black liberation.
I gave this book five stars, it absolutely does everything it sets out to accomplish. I really recommend this book to folks who are looking for an excellent work of nonfiction about Black culture on a global scale and to those interested in hair specifically.
