Going Natural:
How to Fall in Love with Nappy Hair
By Mireille Liong-A-Kong
Sabi Wiri Press
Paperback, $12.00
120 pages, illustrated
ISBN: 978-0-9760-9610-8
Book review by Kam Williams
“Five years ago… I knew nothing about my natural hair. It was
that mess that grew out of my head… which was only relieved by using
scalp-burning chemicals and hair-singeing heat. It was that
unprofessional, bad, embarrassing stuff that, if I were to wear in
public, would doom me to everlasting singledom and job failure
because, surely, no employer would employ me nor would a suitable
life partner love me with ‘Hair like THAT!’
Well, here I am, a lifetime later, full of NAPPtural hair and
pride. I wear my hair in the state it was intended to be worn, and I
have never felt freer. These feelings of joy and sky-high
self-esteem that go along with the wearing of your hair NAPPturally
is something born-again naturals feel the need to share.
Books like this one serve a wonderful purpose. They tell us we
are not alone – that this soul-freeing experience is one also felt
by other black women who had oppressed their hair and their minds
into believing they were created less than perfect.
We, and our daughters, will only benefit from the healthy
knowledge we pass on [that] their skin, their features and their
hair are all beautiful in their own right. Black women need to
celebrate their beauty, and this book is a great place to start.”
-- Excerpted from the Foreword by Patricia Gaines (pgs. 7-8)
I suppose I should thank my lucky stars that I came of age back in
the day when James Brown sang “I’m Black and I’m Proud” and
afros were in vogue. Even though my peasy hair might have triggered
its share of teasing and double-takes after styles had changed, I’ve
never seriously considered wearing it any other way than how it
grows out of my head. So excuse me if I look like I spend less time
in front of the mirror than Don King, but I’ve always felt okay
walking around with my locks looking exactly as the good Lord
intended.
I understand that the situation is a little different for sisters,
nonetheless, it looks like a movement might be afoot to challenge
the conventional standard of beauty which pressure African-American
females to resort to straightening their hair and other complicated
measures. A couple of documentaries have played a role in this
regard.
First, there was Black Hair, an enlightening expose’ which
highlighted how Koreans control and reap huge profits from the
billion-dollar, hair care industry in most African-American
communities. More recently, we had Good Hair, which questioned our
commonly-accepted definition of what constitutes good vs. bad hair
while offering a sobering peek at all the chemicals, expense and
daily rituals involved in arriving at a relaxed head of hair.
Apparently, some folks have been cut off for so long from their
nappy roots that they might need help in reverting to a natural
state. If that is the case, an excellent primer on the subject,
complete with instructions, pep talks and helpful illustrations of a
variety of healthy, beautiful ‘dos is Going Natural: How to Fall in
Love with Nappy Hair.
The book was written by cutely-coiffed Mireille Liong-A-Kong who was
born in Suriname but now makes her home in Brooklyn by way of The
Netherlands. In fact, this tome was originally published in Dutch in
Holland where the first edition sold out in a couple of months.
A refreshing opus advocating self-acceptance and the liberating of
locks in the pursuit of happiness.
For more info and to purchase natural hair care products visit the
author’s website at:
http://going-natural.com/
To order a copy of Going Natural, visit:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976096102?ie=UTF8&tag=thslfofire-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0976096102
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Lloyd
Kam Williams 