Robbin’s Comments (group member since Feb 24, 2018)

Robbin’s comments from the The Digital Book Club: Create. Learn. Inspire. group.

I purchased the eBook as well but I still plan to purchase a hardcopy. I can already tell from reading so far that this is definitely a book that I want to become a part of my permanent collection.

I really don't know how to describe reading Assata besides captivating. I feel like even in the forewords you're immediately drawn in to her world. I found myself very angry the more I continued to read. The greatest crime in America as a black women is loving yourself and your people. Reading about Assata's story only reconfirmed this for me.

I definitely agree with Hawa as well in regards to all the background information Assata provides us about her life. I feel like she's walking us through the oppression and struggles that made her into the strong black woman and black revolutionary that she was. I found it very interesting. I also think that her grandparents played a major role in her ability to always be herself even in situations when facing racism and discrimination. Assata states:

All of my family tried to instill in me a sense of personal dignity, but my grandmother and my grandfather were really fanatic about it. Over and over they would tell me, "You're as good as anyone else. Don't let anybody tell you that they're better than you." My grandparents strictly forbade me to say "yes ma'am" and "yes sir" or to look down at my shoes or to make subservient gestures when talking to white people. "You look them in the eye when you talk to them," I was told. "And speak in a loud, clear voice and to hold my head up high, or risk having my grandparents knock it off my shoulders.

I remember her even telling the prison guard I was taught not to respect anyone who hasn't earned it or doesn't respect me. I LIVED for her and her witty comebacks! Haha Even in the worse situations she was herself and I loved that. I'm definitely excited to continue reading more!

There are literally a million quotes I've highlighted so far but I'll only post a few:

"Once again, the manipulation of facts by the media became a substitute for reality- none of the acquittals or dismissals was publicized."

"Black Revolutionaries do not drop from the moon. We are created by our conditions. Shaped by our oppression. We are being manufactured in droves in the ghetto streets, places like attica, san quentin, bedford hills, leavenworth, and sing sing."

"Prisons are a profitable business. They are a way of legally perpetuating slavery. In every state, more and more prisons are being built and even more are on the drawing board. Who are they for? They certainly aren't planning to put white people in them. Prisons are part of this government's genocidal war against Black and Third World people."

I just want to start by saying that I’m absolutely thrilled to be this months moderator and I’m even more excited that we’re reading Assata 😩🙌🏽 Almost a year ago my line sister made me start watching Hidden Colors and as a result I keep feeling this constant thirst for knowledge. To know the truth and the real and full history of our people. Through my quest for knowledge I made a list of books that I not only wanted to read but but felt like i NEEDED to read and Assata was one of the first books on the list. I’m eager to dive right in! As usual guys while reading if you come across any excerpts or quotes that you feel like really speak to you or are significant please feel free to share ☺️

My mind is constantly going a million miles per minute. That's honestly where I get some of my best ideas from! Like when you're trying to focus on one thing but then that reminds you of something else. Ten thoughts later you're wondering how you got there to begin with LOL. As I've gotten older I try to write a lot of my thoughts down just so I remember to revisit them later.

So I guess I would say that mentally stimulating activities tend to get my creative juices flowing.

I finally finished the book yesterday and I was so sad that it was over ! Definitely a good read. Kept me very engaged. At some points I felt like I was watching a movie.

(view spoiler)[I knew that no matter what Starr did that Khalil wouldn't get justice in the end. I feel for this book to really mirror today's society there was no other way Angie could've ended the story. She did an amazing job of giving us an insider view of what those closest to these police brutality situations are feeling.

Starr mentions at one point how angry she is towards the end of the book. As she is at the riot she realizes everyone around her even though they weren't there or maybe didn't even know Khalil they were just as angry. Angry that yet another black man, in this case black child, was taken from this world and his death rationalized as if his life never mattered.

This book alone was so triggering for me. I felt angry and very emotional. I even shed a few tears at one point.

I LOVED the collision of Starr's two worlds. Not only did I feel like she finally found herself and her voice as a black woman. But she also finally realized there was definitely some dead weight she needed to let go(Hailey). She realized that there were also people in her corner who understood her a lot better than she thought (Maya and the other girl at the lunch table). Hailey was definitely super racist, but as Starr said she had been this way for so long and no one ever checked her on it so she began to think her behavior was normal. I was definitely happy to see the "Minority Alliance" form. We all we got at the end of the day and we're definitely stronger in numbers!

I even grew to love Chris as the story went on. He accepted her for who she was and never wanted her to feel like she had to be someone else for him. I loved how he put himself in uncomfortable situations just so he could fully be immersed in her world and understand her everyday struggles a little bit better. (hide spoiler)]

This is my favorite book that we've read so far :)

I’ve made it to Chapter 7 now but no Hawa unfortunately i don’t think there will be any real justice for Khalil. Not for a lack of trying on Starr’s part. I think this situation will probably play out exactly how it does in real life.

The conversation at the police station reinforced my feelings of this:

Whoa, wait one second,” Momma says. “Are y’all putting Khalil and Starr on trial or the cop who killed him?”
Wilkes looks up from his notes.
“I- I don’t quite understand, Mrs. Carter?” Gomez sputters.
“You haven’t asked my child about the cop yet,” Momma says. “You keep asking her about Khalil, like he’s the reason he’s dead. Like she said, he didn’t pull the trigger on himself.”
“We just want the whole picture, Mrs. Carter. That’s all.”
“One-Fifteen killed him,” I say. “And he wasn’t doing anything wrong. How much of a bigger picture do you need?” Pg 103

I started reading the book a lot later than I intended (TODAY). Now that I've started I can barely put the book down. As Naomi said the book is relatable and definitely relevant to today's time.

I feel that Starr's response is more one of shock. She's only 16 and she's already seen more than any child should see. That's the reality for a lot of black children. I hate the fact that parents even have to give their children the "if you get pulled over" talk. But its necessary. This talk is the difference between life and death in a lot of situations. I do think she will eventually find her voice and do whatever she can to help get justice for Khalil, but she has to do this in her own time and after she sorts through her own emotions

I also agree with Naomi's comments about Starr's two worlds colliding the moment Khalil was shot. Theres no way for her to possibly keep her school life and home life separate at this point.

I also feel that somehow through this experience that Starr will become more comfortable with her "black identity." I feel like right now she's not really sure where she fits in. She's cool at her school because she's one of the only black kids but yet the kids in her neighborhood don't particularly care for her because they feel like she thinks that she's better than them. I'm curious to see how this situation might help her find herself.

So far I'm on chapter 4!

I’ve been trying to abide by the four agreements so far. I haven’t taken the time to sit back and evaluate all the bad agreements I’ve made with myself, definitely something to really start thinking about though.

Stress eating is definitely something i can relate to Reven 😩I’ve struggled with this over the years especially as i get older. In preparation for my summer body however I’ve been trying to break that bad habit. Lol

Some of my favorite quotes as i finished the book were:

“We don’t need to justify love; it is there or not there. Real love is accepting other people the way they are without trying to change them. If we try to change them, this means we don’t really like them.” Pg 70


“Action is about living fully. Inaction is the way that we deny life. Inaction is sitting in front of the television everyday for years because you are afraid to be alive and to take the risk of expressing what you are. Expressing what you are is taking action. You can have many great ideas in your head, but what makes the difference is the action. Without action upon an idea, there will be no manifestation, no results, and no reward.” Pg 82


“Whatever life takes away from you, let it go. When you surrender and let go of the past, you allow yourself to be fully alive in the moment.” Pg 84


“We must forgive those we feel have wronged us, not because they deserve to be forgiven, but because we love ourselves so much we don’t want to keep paying for the injustice.” Pg 114


“Help us to love others just the way they are with no conditions. Help us to accept them the way they are, without judgement, because if we judge them, we find them guilty, we blame them, and we have the need to punish them.” Pg 133

Piggybacking off of what Reven said, "I've noticed that gossip is the primary way of communicating in todays society and I am choosing not to engage in trendy, pointless gossip. " Ever since reading:

"We learned how to gossip by agreement. When we were children, we heard the adults around us gossiping all the time, openly giving their opinions about other people. They even had opinions about people they didn't know. Emotional poison was transferred along with the opinions, and we learned this as the normal way to communicate." Pg 37

I find myself thinking a lot more before I speak. Every time I have an opinion on someone I find myself reminding myself that my opinion doesn't really matter. To each his own. But I wonder if we're so programmed, so used to this being the normal way to communicate that in reality, will we ever be able to fully stop? Did anyone else get similar thoughts or feelings reading this?

"Through the word you express your creative power. It is through the word that you manifest everything. Regardless of what language you speak, your intent manifests through the word. What you dream, what you feel, and what you really are, will all be manifested through the word." Pg 26

The quote above along with Kayla's quote spoke to me a lot. As I get older and I'm coming into my own as a woman, there are times when I do doubt myself, These quotes remind me that our feelings and thoughts manifest into reality. If I continue to believe in myself then all my dreams will manifest into reality. If I doubt myself then those doubts too will manifest into reality.

Also in life, you have to take responsibility for your actions without beating yourself up. Speaking for myself I'm my own toughest critic. This just reinforces for me that it's okay to make mistakes. Just learn from them and keep it moving versus 'crying over spilled milk.'

I definitely agree with the author when he says that we’re trained into society. I’ve never actually thought about it like that until reading this book. But if you think about it he’s right. As children our parents use the same methods we use when training dogs. Reward and Punishment lol. Very interesting and enlightening point of view.

Quotes that stood out for me so far:
“To be alive is the biggest fear humans have. Death is not the biggest fear we have; our biggest fear is taking the risk to be alive - the risk to be alive and express what we really are. Just being ourselves is the biggest fear of humans we have learned to live our lives trying to satisfy other people’s demands. We have learned to live by other people’s points of view because of the fear of not being accepted and of not being good enough for someone else.” Pg 17

Hey everyone ☺️ I’m Robbin and i loveeeee to read . I’ve always wanted to join a book club 😁 So I’m definitely excited and looking forward to the various discussions. But, also I’m happy to be supporting one of our own ❤️✊🏽

Feel free to follow me on IG @_kingROBB 💃🏽