Struck me to the core. Eloquent. Raw. Powerful.

"From the ages of 18 to 22, I learned more about what someone like me brought out in other people than who I was. I didn't even get the chance to know myself before I had to fight for myself."

This is a beautiful book. Beautiful for its words, its strength, its lessons, its truths. To say that I adored this book makes it sound like I enjoyed every moment of it, and it's hard to say that because so much of this book is about ugly, terrible, real things. However, Martis eloquently and unapologetically pulls together her experience at Western University and as a visibly Black girl then woman in Canada so that when she's speaking of things like violence, racism, harassment, and rape, her language (and her storytelling through the audiobook version) is intensely attention-keeping.

I audiobooked this memoir, and listened to the epilogue four times. It made me want to leave my bed, hoist a cardboard sign for revolution and run into the street. I went back to sections that struck me to the core with either intense empathy, rage or moments of recognition as she put to words experiences I've had with harassment and assault. "I knew I didn't miss you, I missed the idea of who you could be, the lost opportunities for us to be healthy and functional." Bam! Straight. To. My. Soul.

I'm not a Black woman, so I'm grateful for Martis's willingness to share such a raw story so that I could learn more about the province I come from, Ontario, and discover more about the insidiousness of racism in Canada, of which we white Canadians do such a good job of remaining ignorant to, or eschewing responsibility.

I started up a purposeful path to diminish my ignorance, recognize my privilege as a visibly white woman, and broaden my understanding of the society I'm a part of a little while back, at the tumult from the murder of George Floyd. I should have started long before. I've been working my way through memoirs and more text-book style works on the BLM movement, racism, white supremacy and the governments, societies, bigotry and policies that keep incredible inequality in place between white people and people of colour. Of the books, content and videos I've consumed thus far, Martis's memoir has struck closest to home for me not just geographically, but also for her intimate story of finding her way in university, bravely battling through the attacks on her, her love of writing, her pursuit of journalism, and creating herself.

Martis's memoir, true to the journalist who wrote it, is full of figures, facts, studies, examples and references to the racist world we live in, the racist, problematic Canada we live in. I was consistently filled with rage, grief and disgust at the evidence Martis sprinkled liberally through her telling of her own experiences. Evidence for things like violence against Black men and women, especially women, in Canada, the endemic rates of sexual violence on Canadian university campuses, the rates of intimate partner violence in Canada, the rise of white supremacy in Canada. The list goes on.

There's so many other, incredible aspects to this book. Its honesty, its powerful messages, its rebellion-laced paragraphs that have the ability to storm castles and enact change in hearts. I hope Ontarians read this, I hope Canadians read this, I hope white women and men and people with minds in need of broadening read this. I will read this again and again to remind myself that I've faced harm, I've faced violence, but the colour of my skin has likely never been on someone's checklist for reasons behind why I may have "deserved it."

"Our voices can join a legacy of stories that have changed the world, that create quiet revolutions and roaring revelations."

"We did not put ourselves in this current cultural climate, but we are responsible for getting each other out."

"We are glowing with rage, the kind that can shatter glass ceilings and scorch the earth. We are emotional with grief, with tears that can flood oceans and put out blazing fires. We are soft with compassion yet powerful enough to dissolve borders. Our words are cutting, deep enough to slash through the pages of history and write it anew."

I'll leave the rest for you to read on your own. I cannot recommend this book enough.

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Great!

Excellent analysis of the issues at hand mixed with personal stories and experiences on a Canadian campus.

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They Said This Would Be Fun...and it was!

This book made me cry, laugh and groan in frustration! I will definitely be re-reading it.

Martis' writing is clear, comedic and incisive. It's filled with insightful reflections and relevant anecdotes for anyone who attended a Canadian Post-Secondary Institution. I recommend this book very highly!!

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Essential stories, fantastic narration.

Listened to this in one sitting today. Wow.

It is such a privilege to hear this memoir read in the author's own voice. The stories Martis tells of her experiences as a Black woman at Western are at once horrifying and compelling.

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Must read

An amazing and heartbreaking narrative. must read for every student, professor and every other member of society.

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This reframed my perspective about London, ON

This will be an eye opener for students, parents, and academics who believe that Canadian campus life is unmarred by the problems of racism and sexism that are more openly discussed in the USA.

My complete review is available on 8+ platforms through Anchor: https://anchor.fm/audiobookreviews

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Eye opening and very moving

This book really helped me realize how I am utterly unaware of the struggles of black women at my school. This book was heartbreaking and inspiring. Thank you Eternity for sharing your story.

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Beautifully written, candid and raw.

Loved it. Teared up several times, raged internally at other moments. It was an important listen. I am so glad I did.

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An Eye opener for us all. great book. Aubrey H.

Loved it. amazing Narration. I'm sad, 21st Century and to still see, so many women of color still struggling to take their rightful place in society Shame on us all.

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Apathetic performance; little to no story

An ersatz recollection of various repetitive micro aggressions and racial infractions suffered by the author. While these are wrong and are injustices, listening to them without any thoughtful analysis or commentary is utterly tedious and extremely difficult. Outside of a purely academic context, avoid.

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