Dear Senthuran A Black Spirit Memoir

While this doesn’t have a through-line and so meanders and retreads ground, this is a really exceptional memoir. Each section is a letter to a specific person, making each chapter almost a short story that allows the reader to come into something that feels very candid and intimate. As usual, the writing craft is exceptional and there are numerous passages that, had I had a physical copy, I would have tabbed. There are some profound thoughts rendered vibrantly. If you are a fan of Freshwater, this is an absolute must-read. The two are in conversation with each other, and explains so much. Emezi’s personal journey and perspective on mental health and how she interacts with people, and how they interact with her elucidate a lot in Freshwater. This is also powerful, in general, because Emezi is blunt and bold about many aspects of herself. It particularly made me think about how facile the western belief that certain qualities make you “strong”. There is no contradiction when Emezi describes herself as navigating the world as bruise attempting to lightly brush up against others, while also having an innate belief in herself and her endeavours.

Emezi's words are simply magnificient.

"I am a ragged imperfect entity, and yet there is a community that holds me when I am in pain. I didn’t expect embodiment to come with grace like this." "You were trained by an expert. I learned on my own. I learned how to stay alive when the assassin lives in my own head, how to fight an opponent who has already seduced me before the round starts, an opponent who can read my mind. Everyone else has always been more scared than I am, and it confuses me sometimes; don’t we all lose in the end, anyway? I am an old fighter and a very young child." "It feels surreal to be alone and not sad about it, as if my own light is keeping me company."