Bitch is the New Black
Helena Andrews, 2010
HarperCollins
244 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780061778827
Summary
Meet Helena Andrews, sassy, single, smart, and, yes, a bitch—but Tina Fey said it best, bitch is the new black!
When Helena Andrews heard this declaration on Saturday Night Live, her first reaction was How daaare you? But after a commercial break and some thought, she decided to poke at the stereotype that says "successful" and "bitch" are synonyms. Unafraid and frank, she comes to realize that being a bitch is sometimes the best way to be—except, of course, when it's not.
Bitch Is the New Black follows Andrews—sexy, single, and a self-described smart-ass—on her trip from kidnapped daughter of a lesbian to Washington, D.C., political reporter who can't remember a single senator's name. Told in Andrews's singular voice, this addictive memoir explores the roller coaster of being educated and single while trying to become an "actual adult" and find love.
In these candid yet heartfelt essays, she chronicles that ride from beginning to end: a childhood spent on an all-white island, escaping via episodes of The Cosby Show; being set up with Obama's "body guy" Reggie Love by Maureen Dowd; and the shocking suicide of a best friend. Through it all, Andrews and her gang of girlfriends urge each other to "keep it moving." But no one can stay strong all the time—not even the women we believe do so without trying.
As Andrews says, "Despite the fact that the most recognizable woman in the United States is black, popular culture still hasn't moved past the only adjective apparently meant to describe us— "strong." She is also flawed, tired, naive, greedy, gutsy, frightened, and kind: secret sides that come out in honest detail here. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—October 28, 1980
• Born—southern California, USA
• Education— B.A., Columbia University; M.A.
Northwestern University
• Currently—lives in Washington, D.C.
Helena Andrews is a graduate of Columbia University and has written for numerous publications, including the New York Times and Marie Claire. She lives in Washington, D.C., and is currently working on the film adaptation of Bitch Is the New Black with the creator of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice, Shonda Rhimes. (From the publisher.)
More
Helena Andrews is an author, journalist and pop culture critic. Her first book, Bitch is the New Black (2010) is a collection of essays chronicling her experiences as a single Black female in Washington, DC. First conceptualized as a daily blog documenting the sad state of dating among educated African Americans, Bitch is the New Black evolved to describe all the influences and impacts on the modern Black woman. The film rights have been optioned by "Grey's Anatomy" creator/executive producer Shonda Rhimes, who will serve as executive producer for the project.
In a interview with The Root.com she discussed the book:
Despite the fact that the most visible woman in the United States is black, popular culture still hasn't moved past the only adjective apparently meant to describe us: "strong." Bitchwill hopefully function as a sort of dictionary (abridged, of course), providing a new vocabulary for black women. Almost automatically I'd describe myself as strong, but I'm also flawed, tired, sexy, depressed, frightened, naïve, hilarious, greedy and, of course, bitchy. In 16 essays, 'Bitch' gives credence to each one of my faces—secret sides every woman often keeps hidden.
Career
Helena began work in publishing as an intern at O, the Oprah Magazine in 2002. After leaving O, she worked brief stints at Seventeen, Domino, and Rap Up magazines. After a year pursuing a master's degree from Northwestern University in 2005, Helena worked as a news assistant in the Washington bureau of the New York Times. In 2006 she became a staff writer for the online political magazine Politico.com where she covered the cultural goings on of Capitol Hill. Helena has appeared on CNN, Inside Edition, Fox News and XM Radio. Currently, she is a regular contributor to Slate’s TheRoot.com and AOL’s PoliticsDaily.com.
Helena graduated from Columbia University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in English and Creative Writing. At Columbia she joined the Rho Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She earned a master's degree in print journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in 2005. (From Wikipedia.)
Book Reviews
Andrews's exploration of what it's like to be young, black and single in Washington, D.C., is at times cringingly frank. Still, any young professional woman, regardless of color, will relate.
Nancy Trejos - Washington Post
[A] bitingly funny—and honest—read....[Andrews] establishes herself as an individual, proving that the women who fit into the “strong (single) black woman” category are more complex than the one-dimensional persona lets on.
Associated Press
Andrews offers a caustic and humorous running account of her life, mad texting her girlfriends about dates and career horrors, as she navigates the prickly terrain of a modern America getting used to a black First Lady and struggling to rethink its image of black women in general.
Booklist
Political reporter Andrews assembles 16 autobiographical essays exploring her unconventional upbringing, academic and professional accomplishment and the challenges of being a successful, single black woman in Washington, D.C. The scathingly witty author examines a wide variety of topics that, beneath the jokes and sarcasm, address weighty issues (depression, aging, abortion) with wry astuteness. The "bitch" referred to in the title is an allusion to the tough veneer—perhaps subtly survivalist—that Andrews claims is necessary for a black woman who is often the only black woman in school or at work. She reveals the inception of this facade in chapters about her childhood, where she describes being the only child of an openly gay single mother whose eccentricities were both fascinating and impenetrable. One anecdote describes the author's abduction by her grandmother at age six, in a misguided attempt to protect her; another details her attempt to reconcile the Bible with her mother's homosexuality (she couldn't). Whatever the effect of these profound incidents, the author clearly inherited ambition and confidence. She attended Columbia and Northwestern before climbing the ranks as a reporter in Washington—a situation that presented an entirely new set of obstacles, from finding an apartment without rats to finding camaraderie in the workplace. "There's something terribly frightening about being the only black person at a political newspaper when there's a black guy running for president," she writes. "Or should I say freeing?" Much of the book chronicles Andrews's dating misadventures. Nearing 30, and with a hilariously grandbaby-crazed mother, the author's reaction to a Washington Post headline titled "Marriage Is for White People" is understandably incredulous. Andrews, however, finds comfort in her artistic success, and has already sold the movie rights to her book. An irreverent, savvy and sharp memoir.
Kirkus Reviews
Discussion Questions
Use our LitLovers Book Club Resources; they can help with discussions for any book:
• How to Discuss a Book (helpful discussion tips)
• Generic Discussion Questions—Fiction and Nonfiction
• Read-Think-Talk (a guided reading chart)
Also consider these LitLovers talking points to help get a discussion started for Bitch is the New Black:
1. Talk about the title: what does it mean? How does Helena Andrews use the word "bitch? How does she apply the word to herself? Is it a pejorative or a compliment? Does she use the title out of malice or self-confidence?
2. Why, according to Andrews, are successful black women lonely and single? Is her assessment—that success gets in the way of romance—accurate? What are your personal experiences and observations?
3. Why does Andrews admire with astronaut Lisa Nowak?
4. Talk about Andrews' prayers for her father's return. How did his absence haunt her life as a young girl...and later, as a young woman?
5. Discuss her growing up years on Catalina Island. In particular, what do you think of her mother? What kind of mother was she? Did you agree with the friend's accusation that Frances was raising Andrews to have no feelings?
6. Talk about the kidnapping scene? What were your emotions while reading it?
7. What impact did The Bill Cosby show have on Andrews and her expectations for life? Talk about her hopes for the TV-film, Polly and its effect on her white classmates?
8. In general, how does Andrews describe the various people who enter her life—the interior designer, Reggie Love, Rayetta, or Dexter? Are her assessments of them fair, funny, mean, perceptive? Does she present them as fully-developed individuals...or as one-diminsional figures?
9. How does Andrews relate to the Obamas, Michelle in particular—her "diplomas in plural, a career in progress, a presidential husband, and perfect babies"?
10. What do you think of Dexter? At one point, he tells Andrews that she's too good for him—do you agree, or not? Why is Andrews attracted to him?
11. Talk about Andrews' treatment of difficult subjects—abortion and abusive relationships.
12. What, if anything, does Andrews come to learn by the close of her book? Do you feel she has examined her life, and her own role in its unfolding, with depth and perception? Or do you see the book as a more superficial treatment, written primarily as an entertaining, comedic take on life for a single black woman?
13. Which of the book's 16 essays are your favorites? Which parts are the most humorous? Most moving? Most enlightening? Most irritating?
14. Overall, what is your response to Helena Andrews and her book? Would you describe her writing as crass and offensive—a way to gain attention? Or is her writing a raw and openly honest presentation of life's disappointments. Does she strike a chord in your own life?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)