A Renaissance of Our Own

Reviews

“Dazzling—a loving, bold tale of imagination, bravery, and radical action in the face of injustice . . . Through an account of Cargle’s own complicated life journey, she provides a framework for our own acts of courage as brutality threatens to strip us of humanity.”—Elle

“I loved and admired this book as much as I have always loved and admired its author. Rachel Cargle is that rare sort of phoenix who rises from the ashes of her life not only reborn on the personal level but also fully ready to change the world. A Renaissance of Our Own is an elegant, thoughtful, vulnerable, and inspiring memoir. May this book land in a million hands, all over the world.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Magic

“Magical. Shape-shifting. Cargle recounts how she spun silk out of the threadbare yarns of patriarchy and white supremacy while reminding readers that such alchemy is possible for them, too. Such wonder is inevitable if we give ourselves permission to reimagine our existence and re-create ourselves in our own divine image.”—Sonya Renee Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of The Body Is Not an Apology

“What a beautiful offering and gentle invitation Rachel Cargle has extended with A Renaissance of Our Own. I felt the pull to really slow down and sit with both her stories and my own. This book is not meant to be simply consumed but explored.”—Joy Harden Bradford, PhD, founder of the award-winning Therapy for Black Girls and author of Sisterhood Heals

“A profoundly moving and powerful story of how one woman transformed both herself and her community while giving us the tools to do the same . . . Rachel shows that the closer we get to our own true light, the brighter we may shine for the world. You will celebrate, you will mourn, but ultimately you will leave these pages changed for the better.”—Gabrielle Union, New York Times bestselling author of We’re Going to Need More Wine

“Rachel Cargle has given us the gift of an interactive memoir that allows readers to expand into our own renaissance while witnessing hers. She is visionary, revolutionary, unapologetic, and deeply self-loving, reclaiming herself from conditioning that tried to shrink her. In telling her story, Rachel Cargle makes more room for each of us.”—Adrienne Maree Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good

“Cargle’s self-help memoir is highly recommended for DEI and LGTBQ+ collections and women of all ages who want to renew and rethink their purpose in life.”—Booklist (starred review)
 
“A vulnerable look at one activist’s long journey of deconstruction, healing, and reimagining of the toxic societal structure meant to oppress marginalized identities.”—Kirkus Reviews Expand reviews