I wasn’t sure what I expected to take away from this book, but I was intrigued by the title and am (I hope) a person who is eager to learn from other people through the experiences they are willing to share. As a white woman who lives in rural Yorkshire, where non-white faces in the community are still few and far between, I can imagine how isolated and different the author’s childhood was to mine. Before I read this book I had not considered (or appreciated) the sense of identify that some people have with their hair, nor the intrinsic link a Black person’s hair has with their heritage, sense of identity and the specific care that it requires. Through reading this book I learned about the haircare knowledge and skill that are passed on through generations, shared and celebrated amongst communities.
At the large rural secondary school I attended in Derbyshire there was one Black girl a few years younger than me called Angela, whose shoulder length afro I remember admiring from a distance. Having fine, fair poker-straight hair that could never hold a curl (and my mum refused to allow me a perm!) anyone whose hair had bounce, texture and body was envied. I now wonder, if she was aware that her ‘look’ was considered attractive by a white girl and whether teenage Tina had shy admirers too. In the light of Tina’s revelations about the sparsity of knowledge, I doubt that Angela was able to access hair stylists who understood how to cut and look after her asset in the Bakewell of the ’80s…
More than a book about haircare, ‘Hair Apparent’ is a reflection by the author of her youth and the friendships and experiences that have made her the articulate and independent woman she is today. From her foster family and school, to university, travel in Europe and then to America and first jobs, Tina has much of interest to share and is happily now at peace with her natural hair. The author is modest, observant and her style is witty. There is no judgment, the story is shared ‘as it is’ without high emotions, criticism or rages against the racial injustice she was subjected to. I enjoyed reading the book in three sittings, looking forward to each section as the pages immersed me in the 60s, 70s and 80s and helped me to see how life would have been from a different (Black) perspective.
I hope that Tina’s childhood experiences are a thing of the past and am pleased to see books for children about black hair being published such as those by Tola Okowgu shown below.
Hair Apparent is published by Biteback. I am hugely looking forward to meeting the author at Waterstones in York on the evening 8th October so I can congratulate her in person.
Tina Shingler is a Black British writer and presenter (under the influence of Italy.) Her work explores racial identity, at home and abroad with stories that aim to shift perceptions.
To find out more visit TinaSingler.com
