In You Got Anything Stronger?, a collection of jocular, poignant and sometimes shattering essays, she wittily dissects and expands upon these public moments, tackling pain and feelings of inadequacy more forthrightly than you might expect from someone who appears so put-together … however revealing Union is on her feed, she’s even more so on the page. Blurring the line between public and private, many chapters in You Got Anything Stronger? hinge on the very act of disclosure, the moments where Union relatably brings social media more in line with real life … these essays reveal a keen awareness of the pressures of outside expectations, and of the necessity of pushing back against them to find happiness … Union makes an offhand comment that seems to sum up her work as a writer and a public figure, a basic yet inspiring message about how she was able to find her way. ‘The joy of connection in spirit that happens when you welcome in Black women—and don’t relegate us to holding up the wall,’ Union writes: ‘That joy will change your life.’
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