Title: You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories
Author: Gabrielle Union
Genre: Memoir
Rating: 4.00
Pub Date: September 14, 2021

T H R E E • W O R D S

Vulnerable • Empowering • Witty

📖 S Y N O P S I S

A lot has changed in the four years since Gabrielle Union published her first book We're Going to Need More Wine, so she's back with all new stories to inspire, encourage, empower, and to offer hope to those who struggle. She shares about her journey with surrogacy and on becoming a mom, and delves into tackling racist institutions and practices in the entertainment industry.

💭 T H O U G H T S

After reading We're Going to Need More Wine, I knew I needed to pick up Gabrielle Union's second book You Got Anything Stronger? to see what else she had to say. These new stories and conversations go even deeper touching on suicidal thoughts, becoming a mom via surrogacy, being a working mom, raising a LGBTQIA+ child, aging as a Black woman, racism within the industry, among other things.

I commend Union for digging deep and exposing the most vulnerable aspects of her life with the hope of making others experiencing similar things feel less alone. Knowing you are not alone can be one of the most healing ways to move through life's most difficult moments. Written with both humour and sincerity, this book isn't all heavy. She mixes in some lighthearted stories to create a nice balance. It's great on audio, read by the author herself which makes the experience that more genuine.

Again with this one, I struggled with the normalization of drinking culture and the references of turning to alcohol when things get hard. I do think the titles of both her books were chosen with distaste. And yet, these books open up some much needed dialogue on important topics, so I had to look past the titles.

Both books are worth reading, but I would definitely recommend reading her earlier publication first simply for context as some topics are a continuation while others are completely new. There's a little something for everyone in each, although I think I gravitated towards this one a tad more. For me, it just hit harder.

📚 R E C O M M E N D • T O
• readers who want to be empowered
• Gabrielle Union fans

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"The right thing to do is, as usual, the hard thing to do."

"I let her tell me who she was. I listened to her, even before she had words."

 

Funny, sincere, and heart-warming, Union paints a picture of herself and her family that shows that we’re all people trying to get through this crazy thing called life. Union tells anecdotes about her life in a down to earth way making her seem less like a celebrity and more like a normal woman. She discusses her triumphs and failures, her fears and her hopes, her beliefs and her knowledge of history so effortlessly that reading this book feels like having coffee with an old friend. 

A celebrity memoir really hinges on how honest and vulnerable the author is willing to be. Gabrielle Union states that vulnerability doesn’t come easy to her, but you wouldn’t know it from either of her books. Her stories are remarkably forthright and honest. 

I adored her first book, We’re Going to Need More Wine, and this one is just as good. (Confession: I harbor a fantasy where she and I are friends). She tells stories about her life that are both funny and heartbreaking, while weaving in commentary about being a Black woman both in the world in general and in Hollywood specifically. 

Obviously, the book is at its most emotional and poignant in the more serious stories: the journey of Kaavia James’ birth, navigating Zaya’s journey of gender discovery, and the aftermath of her rape at age 19.  But, I also found myself getting choked up at lighter stories, including a dance battle with Bruno Mars. Union finds the heart and meaning behind every story she tells, which makes for an incredibly affecting read. 

I listened to this one on audio, and I highly recommend it, as she reads it herself. It truly feels like sitting with a girlfriend and learning what makes her tick. I absolutely loved it. 

Yet again, I find myself blown away by the introspection and wisdom of this woman.  In this more than worthy successor to <u>We're Going to Need More Wine</u>, Gabrielle this time shares her experiences with miscarriage, surrogacy, rape trauma recovery, white supremacy, perimenopause, loving and supporting the women in her life, finding her place as a stepmom, a dance battle with Bruno Mars, and a Thanksgiving dinner wrecked by Lemoncello. 

There are triggers in here, but there is also joy and wisdom and a celebration of life and learning. Her vulnerability is a gift to us all.

 You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories

I Picked Up This Book Because: Following up from first book

Media Type: Audiobook
Source: P Public Library
Dates Read: 10/22/21 - 10/24/21
Stars: 4 Stars
Narrator(s): Gabrielle Union


The Story:

I was excited to see Gabrielle had written another book because I wanted to see how her life has changed and grown in the years since her first book and she did not disappoint. I am glad she shared her journey through infertility, motherhood, step motherhood, the evolving of her children as people and the evolving of herself.


The Random Thoughts: