I recently picked up the memoir “Backtalker: An American Memoir” by Kimberlé Crenshaw, an acclaimed legal scholar and public intellectual, and quite honestly, one of the sharpest minds alive today. She is not only the architect behind two of the most influential and important ideas in modern day politics, intersectionality, and critical race theory, but she has stood firm as a brave defender of these constructs under the current political regime.
For anyone who grew up in a Black household, a backtalker was not tolerated. Crenshaw takes this familiar phrase and turns it on its head. Her memoir gives the reader a window into the genesis of her ability to speak up and speak out. She details how being a backtalker gave rise to some of her most well-known ideas, but also her foundation as a woman, a sister and daughter, a scholar, lawyer, writer, and brilliant Black person in a country (with a political system) that consistently reminds Black people the lengths they will go to subjugate us.
This page-turner takes us on many journeys, beginning with Canton, Ohio, where Crenshaw was raised, to her days in Cambridge, Mass., and the halls of Harvard University, to the Supreme Court with Anita Hill, and beyond. It is always so moving to read a memoir and feel like you are in the stories as they occur. The more I read, the more in awe I became of this truly remarkable woman and scholar. Crenshaw is known for her poignant legal writing, as well as her accessible writing as a public scholar, distilling complex concepts and events for the masses. This memoir is yet another leg on the stool, showcasing Crenshaw’s ability to reach an audience and help them see not just a micro story about a Black girl growing into a woman, but also a macro story of America, and all of its flaws and promise.
Crenshaw has had her fair share of trauma, trials, and tribulations, but it is her triumphs and her steadfast belief in solidarity that make this memoir stick to your bones long after putting it down. For anyone who has lost a loved one too young or survived abusive situations, this memoir may feel like an old friend gently guiding you through dark days into the light. There are familiar characters and famous characters. Through it all, Crenshaw’s clear voice rings through and it rings true.
Famed Ohio writer and publisher William Feather once wrote, “Finishing a good book is like leaving a good friend.” After reading Crenshaw’s memoir, that was my feeling indeed. As always, be sure to support Black authors and Black bookstores. Start by picking up “Backtalker: An American Memoir” (Simon and Schuster).
Christina Greer, PhD, is an associate professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream”; and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.