Prominent Kentucky-born writer and thinker bell hooks has just passed away.
bell hooks (name kept lowercase), nee Gloria Jean Watkins, died today at her home in Berea, Kentucky surrounded by family and friends at the age of 69. My first introduction to her work was in my undergraduate class. We read her paper, “Black Postmodernism,” which opened up my eyes to a subject I had, up until then, been supportive of. Her first book of literary and cultural theory was published when she was 29, in 1981, and launched an impressive career. One of her most popular books (popping up in Barnes and Noble this last year quite suddenly) is All About Love, which discusses love in modern society. The cultural world certainly has felt this loss of a mind sharp and full of a sense of justice. “Love is an action, never simply a feeling,” shows that what we do this holiday season and each and every day has importance. A simple smile or a thoughtful comment may be enough to show you care.
