In Our Shoes

A memoir-in-essays about black millennial women and the stereotypes and preconceived notions they are expected to live up to, examined through the lens of Brianna’s lived experience and pop culture to help readers unlearn their biases and expand their worldviews.

Part memoir, part cultural critique, In Our Shoes uses pop culture and author Brianna Holt’s own lived experience to dissect the stereotypes and preconceived notions that young Black women must overcome in America today.

In this fresh exploration of cultural appropriation, wokeness, tone policing, and more, Holt carefully dismantles myths about Black womanhood, allowing readers to assess their biases while examining the roles Black millennial women are forced to take on simply to survive. Through nine thoughtful chapters-such as “Leave the Box Braids for the Black Girls” and “Why Are You So Dark?”-laced with searing commentary, personal anecdotes from Brianna’s own life, and interviews conducted with “everyday” Black women and experts across different fields, In Our Shoes reveals the complexities of existence for Black women and creates a thought-provoking book that helps readers to learn, empathize, reflect, and, most importantly, act. A history, a work of criticism, a piece of reporting, and a call to action, In Our Shoes is a timely exploration of race and womanhood that will entertain, inspire, and inform in equal measures.

Author Biography

Brianna Holt is an author, screenwriter, and reporter living in New York City. Holt’s writing has been published in The New York Times, The Guardian, Rolling Stone, GQ, The Cut, The Atlantic, Complex, and more, including her own column, Active Voice, through Medium’s GEN. In Our Shoes is her first book.