Emma Chase

In this thrilling sequel to Tangled, Kate and Drew must "renegotiate" their relationship due to unexpected circumstances that send Kate back home to Greenville, Ohio—alone. Original.

Twisted

Drew et Kate forment un couple parfait. Dreamteam sur leur lieu de travail, amants passionnels dans le privé. Mais l'amour ne fait pas tout, encore faut-il savoir se faire confiance. Et à l'heure des choix, Drew, fidèle à lui-même, ne fait pas dans la dentelle, ne laissant d'autre alternative à Kate que de retourner dans l'Ohio chez sa mère. Difficile cependant d'oublier ainsi deux ans de relation fusionnelle. Surtout lorsqu'on s'apprête à vivre seule la plus grande aventure de sa vie.

Beatriz Aguiar

Emma Dabiri

From Guardian contributor and prominent BBC race correspondent Emma Dabiri comes a timely and resonant essay collection exploring the ways in which black hair has been appropriated and stigmatized throughout history, with ruminations on body politics, race, pop culture, and Dabiri's own journey to loving her hair. Emma Dabiri can tell you the first time she chemically straightened her hair. She can describe the smell, the atmosphere of the salon, and her mix of emotions when she saw her normally kinky tresses fall down her shoulders. For as long as Emma can remember, her hair has been a source of insecurity, shame, and--from strangers and family alike--discrimination. And she is not alone. Despite increasingly liberal world views, black hair continues to be erased, appropriated, and stigmatized to the point of taboo. Through her personal and historical journey, Dabiri gleans insights into the way racism is coded in society's perception of black hair--and how it is often used as an avenue for discrimination. Dabiri takes us from pre-colonial Africa, through the Harlem Renaissance, and into today's Natural Hair Movement, exploring everything from women's solidarity and friendship, to the criminalization of dreadlocks, to the dubious provenance of Kim Kardashian's braids. Through the lens of hair texture, Dabiri leads us on a historical and cultural investigation of the global history of racism--and her own personal journey of self-love and finally, acceptance. Deeply researched and powerfully resonant, Twisted proves that far from being only hair, black hairstyling culture can be understood as an allegory for black oppression and, ultimately, liberation.

The Tangled History of Black Hair Culture

Shona Tiger

A fantastic read. So much to think about. (Also very funny in places.)

Kathleen Tom

5 Stars ★★★★★‌

HI BOOKLOVERS,

“𝘿𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙡𝙛 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙚𝙚.”

Yup! Still loving it. Still enjoying it. I like how this story was written. And, I'm moving to the third books now. 

Highly Recommended! :)

xoxo. Kath!

Annabella

J Ashlie

Oh my word

This book...just whoa!!! The miscommunication that could've ruined them, holy cow. But I love the ending. Can't washout to read the next book.

Aleena Korell

In her collection of essays that outline the impact, importance, and intricacies of black hair culture, Emma Dabiri speaks honestly of her own experience while citing many others, delving into numerous historical figures and laying out an orderly account of the history of black hair.

I picked up Twisted in the hopes of finding more information on a topic I felt that I deeply misunderstood. All my questions were answered, from the history and science of it all to cultural appropriation and the effects on western culture today.

What I didn't expect was the hidden significance and underlying impact that black hair culture has had over years of history, and it was so very eye-opening and helpful to me to learn. Definitely recommend.

John Balek

Twisted is a book by Irish-Nigerian Author, Emma Dabiri. The history of hair, especially Black hair, is one that isn't often considered but one that really tells more than you would initially expect. Prior to reading this book, I had only a base level knowledge of the culture of Black hair and how it has been racialized in western society. I didn't realize how integral hair has been in racializing people, more so than skin color.

Twisted covers all topics relating to Black hair. From the personal testimonies of the author, precolonial to modern day attitudes, beauty standards, as well as the connection between beauty standards and capitalism. There are so many topics covered, all of which I believe paint an essential picture when understanding race.

Dabiri takes on an immense task of writing for multiple audiences at once. She writes with the intention of directly reaching Black audiences, white audiences, men, women, Americans, and others around the world. This is something not easily pulled off but Dabiri does a pretty good job. I think people of all backgrounds will find something new to learn from this book.

The only real criticism I have of the book is that it can feel directionless at times. There are many topics that Dabiri wants to cover but it can sometimes drag. Choosing what to omit from this book would be a hard decision to make but I think a more focused structure could make a stronger impact. I also didn't find Dabiri's writing to be the strongest but considering this is her first book I was really impressed with what this initial offering presented.

Lacey

Originally posted at Booklovers For Life

3.5 STARS

I loved love looooved Tangled, so of course I was ecstatic to read more of Drew and Kate! And I was excited that their second book would be in Kate’s POV (even though I really missed Drew’s POV). But even though I didn’t love Twisted as much as I loved Tangled, Twisted was still a fun, angsty read that fans of Tangled would enjoy. Kate is just as hilarious as Drew, and I loved reading from her POV!

Kate and Drew have been together for two years. They are blissfully in love… or are they?

Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset? Live happily ever after? Join the club. Apparently happily ever after only lasts two years.

Cue the gasps!! Imagine my shock and horror when my beloved couple ever fall apart. They were practically MADE for each other! But that’s what happens when misunderstandings and miscommunication occurs in a relationship. Both parties get hurt, and in this case, Drew and Kate… break up. But wait! Drew and Kate fans, don’t despair. Not all hope is lost! I don’t want to spoil the reason for their breakup, but if you’re scared about going into this book, don’t be. I had complete confidence in Emma Chase that she wouldn’t let me down about her characters, and I was right.

When Drew and Kate break up, Kate is understandably devastated. She packs up and goes home, back to Greenville, Ohio. There, she has the comfort of her family and best friend, but even with them, nothing can replace Drew. She loves him, but he hurt her terribly. I wanted to hug her–but mostly I wanted to smack Kate and Drew so badly! Their breakup could’ve been avoided so easily, but one freaking miscommunication leads to so much pain for the both of them.

Twisted has a completely different feel than Tangled–don’t get me wrong, there’s still the laugh-out-loud humor Emma Chase is so great at, but that’s mostly thanks to Dee, Kate’s best friend, and Billy, Dee’s cousin and Kate’s ex-boyfriend, and not thanks to Drew. I was a little disappointed that Drew is absent from a large part of the story, but I was willing to see where Emma Chase would take the story, so I sucked it up and kept reading. And I’m glad I did.

Emma Chase takes us on a completely different direction than I expected after reading Tangled. I wouldn’t say I wholeheartedly loved the different direction, but by the end, I was proud of how Drew and Kate ended up handling things. This book was slightly predictable, but I’m totally willing to forgive that because of the Kate’s fabulous narrative and Dee and Billy’s hilarious banter. Oh, and Drew’s sweet words…

“I love you, Kate. Everything that’s good in my life, anything that really matters, is only there because of you. If we hadn’t met? I’d be fucking miserable–and probably too clueless to even realize it.”

So for fans of Tangled, Twisted might not live up to the first book, but it’s still well worth the read. It’ll make you ache–both from laughing so much and from Kate and Drew’s heartbreaking breakup.

Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change in the final version.

Thanks to the publisher for generously providing me an ARC to review.

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Twisted

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