hood wellness: tales of communal care from people who drowned on dry land

＂A funny, thought-provoking, and profound memoir about the intersection of Blackness and health. Gordon’s vision of a more just future feels both inspiring and possible.＂ -- Kirkus Starred Review

What does self-care look like when struggling to make ends meet, living with a disability, or navigating intersectional marginalization? How can you prioritize well-being while divesting from systems built to destroy you? The answer: Hood Wellness, a groundbreaking exploration that challenges the oppressive systems deeply rooted in health and wellness industries in the United States.

In a world where self-care is critical to survival, Gordon offers a revolutionary perspective that celebrates individuals’ unique privileges, challenges, and desires. By defying the norms of multi-billion-dollar industries, Hood Wellness illuminates the possibilities that emerge when we prioritize well-being while divesting from harmful structures.

Hood Wellness is also a deep exploration of people forced to overcome harrowing circumstances with little more than communal support and the will to get well.

From terminal illness and police violence to embracing gender identity in a society that’s attacking trans and queer rights, each story reflects America’s extreme political, racial, and gender climates. Gordon challenges everything we think we know about wellness by calling out the wellness industry’s inability to include those outside the margins of white, heteronormative identities. She lays plain that self-care as we know it is mostly just surface-level ＂cute,＂ and communal care is the call-to-action that America needs.

Drawing on elements of memoir, self-help, humor, critical race theory, and devastatingly honest storytelling, Gordon guides readers on a transformative journey toward a new paradigm of wellness.

This compelling book serves as a beacon, empowering individuals to cultivate resilience and self-love in today’s world. As Gordon shares her personal odyssey, she intertwines the stories of others, revealing her profound discoveries, triumphs, and passions related to self-care.

Hood Wellness introduces readers to an inclusive and accessible self-care primer and an approach to well-being that holds the potential to bring about profound change in their lives.

Tamela J. Gordon (she/her) is a freelance writer, editor, book critic, and self-care advocate. Fueled by a passion for words, community, and joy, her pastimes are reading, learning how to cook authentic New Orleans cuisine, and learning American sign language. A New York native, Tamela currently resides in New Orleans, with her books and plants, where she’s working on her upcoming book, Hood Wellness: A Raft for People Drowning on Dry Land.