New & Noteworthy: The New York Times "Vivid and relatable. The writing is like Vanessa herself; funny, charming and brave." —Mindy Kaling Through a series of extraordinary, incisive, often-humorous essays, Emmy Award-winning actor Vanessa Baden Kelly examines what the idea of "home" means to a Black millennial woman. How important is race to the idea of community? What are the consequences of gentrification on the life of a young Black woman? What aspects of a community help—or hurt—a family with a young child? In these profound, intimate essays, Baden has found a space where she can work out thoughts and feelings she feels unsafe saying out loud. As she processes the initial ideas more fully, her essays evolve from personal stories to fully-realized communiques of a generation of Black women who are finding a new sense of both belonging and ostracism in private, work, and public life. A single ride on a Los Angeles public bus that begins with the overwhelming odor of a man sleeping across one of the seats travels through a range of ideas and choices: "choosing" to sit in the back of the bus; the interconnectedness of living in a majority-Black community in the Crenshaw district; the segregation and gentrification of Los Angeles; the challenges of raising a child in a modern urban environment. Underlying the theme of each essay are questions of how a Black millennial woman can find "home" anywhere when confronted with its invasion by police, men, and society's expectations.
Industry Reviews
"Vanessa's stories are so vivid and relatable. Her writing is like Vanessa herself; funny, charming and brave." --Mindy Kaling, actress, writer, producer, director
***New York Times' NEW AND NOTEWORTHY*** "Kelly's contemplative personal essays draw on current events and cultural criticism to explore the meaning of 'home' for Black people." --New York Times
"The keen insight and vulnerability of [Vanessa Baden Kelly's] writing proves her courage extends into her adult life and she will continue to be one of the great voices of her generation." --Ben Crump, Civil Rights Attorney
"Deftly crafted, eloquent, thoughtful and thought-provoking commentaries replete with wit, wisdom, and experience, Far Away from Close to Home: Essays is an especially and unreservedly recommended addition to community, college and university library African-American Studies collections."
--Midwest Book Review, Reviewer's Bookwatch "Far Away From Close to Home: A Black Millennial Woman in Progress reveals issues that many of us experience as a Black woman living in America. The book...is a collection of essays, exploring what home means for a Black millennial woman. A simple definition of home is the place Black people in the United States question, is this my home? With the racial uprising of last summer, it kind of made anywhere in America feel unsafe." --Sheen Magazine
"An intimate and perceptive memoir-in-essays . . . Voices raw and usually unspoken truths." --Booklist
"Opened my eyes to the realities of systemic racism prevalent in the United States of America and the effects of gentrification on the lives of the Black people and a first-hand experience in the life of a Black mother during the Black Lives Matter movement." --Mithila Reads
"[A] searching debut . . . Full of heartfelt insight, this is a powerful collection." --Publishers Weekly (featured Social Justice title)
"The essays 'Unreliable Narrator' and 'Joggers' should be used in every writing class and should be required reading for the nation. Now go buy this book." --The Fish Shelf
