Breaking Bread: Insurgent Black Intellectual Life

bell hooks is known for her passionate stance against racism and sexism, but she tackles the mystery of love in this book. In New Versions, hooks suggest that the definition of romantic love is a myth that is as equally damaging as blind hatred. She proposes that the reader suspend their opinions and notions on the topic and accept hooks’ definition within the book’s pages. Love is a verb, according to the author, although it can be used grammatically as a noun. This active definition sets the stage to improve the institution and how it’s been abused in modern society.

hooks uses anecdotes from her life, including a frank look at how her experience trying to find love was influenced by a skewed modern view of what that should look like. Children brought up with justice and respect are prepared for love; they learn to give and receive love equally. Honesty, the double-edged sword, is the key to a healthy relationship. However, according to hooks, both men and women lie. Men lie to achieve domination and power, and women lie to allow men the fantasy that they have it. hooks sees this as a significant cause of unrealistic expectations in loving relationships.

Spiritual well-being begins inside each individual. Without it, we aren’t able to let go of obsessions with power and domination in our culture. hooks hopes couples can learn to put love above materialistic needs and overcome this long-standing cultural bias. In the last chapter, hooks suggest that couples become more forgiving. Only when both partners look at the overall picture can a profound and lasting connection ensue.