I want to start this review stating I am a straight, cis, white woman. My privilege means I am unlikely to experience what Candice covers in this fantastic book, but as an ally I always want to try and learn as much as possible about the experience of Black women. I also am not a mother (altho I did work in Mothercare for many years and the section about buying a Bugaboo really got me!).

A friend of mine and I discussed the way in which mental health service for Black women are so much more complex than for anyone who is White. Her experience opened my eyes to how privileged I was to have a psychologist who could treat me and knew my cultural background - this is almost impossible for Black women receiving treatment. Candice goes further than this, with her own experience but also into the depths of provision of health care for Black women, especially in peri and post natal settings.

I also found the section about private education really enlightening. I was brought up to believe in the equality of education and do not believe in private school. Candice's experience with Esme absolutely opened my eyes - in a reality where Black children are likely to be treated differently why not give them the best start in life? Until we can change those systematic failings within the education system for Black and ethnic minority children, private education may be the only option (however it maintains that it doesn't resolve the problem for parents who cannot access it or afford private education).

Cannot recommend this more to anyone - parents or not, Black, another person of colour, white.. There is plenty to read and learn, all written with an effortless style.

Wrote in 2015, it seems in the light of the most recent protests following the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police very little has changed.

The book follows Catrice's personal experiences of women in her life who are Antagonists, Advocates and Allies, and asked you to do some work based on her examples. It is not easy reading, and shouldn't be - if White women want to make a better world for our Black sisters it won't always be easy or comfortable.

Would highly recommend to read and work through over the course of a week or two, letting the work sink in. A must for every white woman, regardless of your lived experience.

So hard to write a review without spoilers.. But this is a raw story of a teenager's life in the care system after spending several years in jail for a serious crime.

Topics ranged from the criminal justice system, to care, teen pregnancy, to child abuse, prostitution and mental health, all with the undertow of racial inequality, but tied together in the messy and honest way the system is stacked against our most vulnerable. An amazing debut novel and not just for YA.

As the granddaughter of a very spiky woman who passed away last year, I loved finding the warmth in characters that were elderly, angry and not very nice. Although I don't think my Grandma was as mean as these strong female leads, she had a shop, made her own way and had a difficult relationship with her children.

The apartheid snakes itself through the text, coursing under the relationship between Marion and Hortensia, and it is an uncomfortable but I think important commentary on South Africa in the latter half of the 20th century, and how those issues continue to haunt the country today.

A memoir written with three main strands: Sarah's own personal transition story, the love and loss she found during that time, and how being an activist shaped both of those parts of her, as well as the future for trans people in the US.

Her story is simple enough, and if anything as she suggests, her experience not the norm for trans and NB people. That doesn't mean she doesn't experience hate or abuse, but the support and love offered by her family, friends, political community and wider activists gave her opportunities so many trans people don't have. I cried. I laughed... I cannot recommend this highly enough.

Although based on Sarah's experience navigating herself and the political climate in America, the issues surrounding trans rights and those who are actively trying to roll these back is relevant right now in Scotland (and the UK). If you have seen arguments or pearl clutching over these issues, Sarah describes her experiences and thoughts on these discriminatory practices simply and in a way I'd struggle to see anyone with genuine concerns (ie not a radicalised transphobe) not change their minds about why trans people deserve our support and protection.

Our rights aren't a pizza that gets smaller the more folk join and we share it out. Instead, we have more folk in with us, so we order a bigger pizza, with more toppings and variety. It makes it better for everyone.