Book Review: “To Hair and Back: My Journey Toward Self-Love One Strand at a Time” by Rhonda Eason

“To Hair and Back: My Journey Toward Self-Love One Strand at a Time” by Rhonda Eason (2017)

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Page Length: 367 pages (electronic edition)

Synopsis:

If hair was a woman’s crowning glory, then why did Rhonda Eason have a mass of uncontrollable tumbleweed at best? At worst, it was a source of frustration and self-condemnation. Raised in a family of women born with tresses suitable for romance novel heroines, Rhonda was apathetic toward her kinky coils, and, in turn, herself. To Hair and Back – My Journey Toward Self-Love One Strand at a Time is a debut memoir that details her quest for the perfect head of hair and the discovery of something far more meaningful. In this endearing personal narrative, she explores the question: If I am not my hair, then who am I?

Beginning in a Detroit ghetto and traversing the globe, the author boldly reveals the joy, despair, pride, and public humiliation she experienced while in search of her best self. Through humorous self-introspection, Rhonda uses her passion for hair to explore the dynamics of her relationships, as well as themes of race and gender. To Hair and Back takes the reader on a journey of a child bullied because of her knotty roots through her adventurous life-long crusade in search of the perfect hair. Masked as a need for creativity and a remedy for boredom, Rhonda’s obsession with her ever-changing hairstyles becomes a metaphor that anyone who has ever struggled with issues of self-worth will find relatable. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

This is a memoir written about the author’s life and her hair journey while growing up. As a Black woman, I could connect with Eason’s narrative as we go through different types of hair journeys in our life. And in reading her story I could reflect on my own continual hair journey in my own life. Easton takes us through snippets of her life in each chapter that share memories of her family, life experiences, and some of the trauma she endured because of her hair. One of the main reoccurring themes in the book was the choice to have natural hair vs relaxers, how race ties into various hairstyles, and beauty standards.

Beauty is ephemeral. That euphoric feeling you get when you walk out of a salon looking your best is as fleeting as a butterfly. Oh sure, you might be able to catch it once every blue moon, but eventually, it’ll die. Beauty, like the butterfly, can’t be bottled. It can’t be held onto forever. The rules of beauty change…

Being a native Detroiter growing up I could also connect to this novel by picking out all the local spots around town Eason mentions. It was interesting to see how the city has changed over the years and reading about past Detroit. Though the book is set up into chapters the memoir flows continuously and has a deeply personal touch. It has many reflections about life’s obstacles, growing up, race, and what defines beauty. It puts a heavy emphasis on how hair is tied to women’s beauty standards and the struggles of finding a way to keep our hair healthy and being comfortable in our own skin. Reading this book reminded me of how I had such a love-hate relationship with my hair as a child and how I’ve been come more accepting of it the older I get.

Of course, finding a hairstyle that expresses who you are is difficult when you have yet to figure out that part of the equation.

While I have thankfully never had half of the bad hair experiences that Easton has I did connect to the journey of finding a black hairstylist and someone who knows how to do your hair. I also experienced the same questions she got about her process or wanting to try new styles that might not work with your hair type. Each head of hair is different and once you find your style it helps you to feel more comfortable in your skin. This was a great memoir about self-love, hair, and taking on life’s challenges one step at a time.

Final Verdict: