We're Going to Need More Wine

This was a one day read.

I picked up Gabrielle Union's book at the library at 10:25. At 10:30 pm, I finished the last page.

Did I like it? Duh.

Let me start by saying, I already loved Gabrielle Union. Not just because of Bring It On (because, obviously...) but also because of her strength and the fact she makes no apologies for being herself. It also doesn't hurt that she's married to the greatest Marquette basketball player of all time.

Then, she comes out with this book and the title alone spoke to me. We're Going to Need More Wine. You bet your ass we are.

She starts this book with a very personal note to readers about the stories she's about to share. She acknowledges the fear of laying bare your life for the world to see. Especially when the world wants and expects you to be one person. But, you feel from those very first pages that you're really going to get a sense of what has made her the woman she has become; not Gabrielle Union the celebrity, but Gabrielle Union, the woman. 

I laughed, I cried, I awkwardly remembered my first period and I Googled pictures of what Jason Kidd looked like in high school - and I was only 105 pages in.

She shares so much here that's easy to relate to. She talks about trying to fit in, trying to live up to people's expectations, the breakup of her parents, her early teenage independence and the questionable decisions that come with that. Some of it put me back into early adolescence immediately. Then, she talks about being black in a mostly white community - and, about the discrimination she felt within her own race because she's not considered light-skinned. Obviously, I can't relate specifically to that, but anyone can understand that struggle between what we believe about ourselves and what others see.

She also describes being violently raped while working at a Payless Shoes while she was in college. She talks about the fear that still lives inside of her and the resources she found to get through the months afterwards. Folks, she's been through some things. But, this book doesn't sugar coat the journey to "the other side" of that. She speaks frankly about how that fear never completely goes away.

You follow this journey with her from uncertain teenager with low self-esteem to beautiful, successful, seemingly confident woman. She does not apologize for her sexuality. She does not apologize for her strength. We could all use a little more of that, right?

I'm sure it sounds incredibly corny, but I felt inspired by this book. I felt nostalgic, too (when she talks about a boyfriend singing The Tony Rich Project's "Nobody Knows" to keep her from leaving, it was 1996 all over again.) If you're a woman who read Judy Blume to help understand about puberty, there's something in this book for you.

I read this book so quickly, I feel guilty bringing it back to the library today. They didn't have it at my branch, so I had to request it and that process took about a week. Now, I'm going to bring it back the next day??? Sorry, Moran Prairie Library. I just couldn't put it down.