Listening in the dark Women reclaiming the power of intuition

Review by Booklist Review

From her poetry (Dark Sparkler, 2015) to her essays (Era of Ignition, 2019), Tamblyn's luminous writing shines as brightly as her powerful acting. In this anthology, Tamblyn and a brilliant crew of fellow writers meditate on the power of intuition. Scientists, poets, composers, actors, mothers, and friends explore the ways in which our bodies work beyond our minds to guide us on our journeys, such as the intuition of a parent sensing when the safety of a child is at risk, and the intuition of one's own health when navigating treatment through gut instinct. One essay explores the intuition of a young trans woman as she negotiates her first adult relationships having not been conditioned in childhood to recognize certain danger cues. The contributors are unmatched in talent, from essayists Jia Tolentino and Samantha Irby and political lights Ayanna Pressley and Huma Abedin to actors America Ferrera and Amy Poehler, poets Mindy Nettifee and Ada Limón, and even Tamblyn's own mother, Bonnie. Readers will leave with a newfound appreciation for intuition, the electric magic that guides their creativity, relationships, and dreams. A gifted polymath, Tamblyn boldly dissects life's greatest mysteries to make readers feel less alone in their bodies and minds.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Actor Tamblyn (Era of Ignition)--along with a roster of contributors including doctors, poets, and fellow actors--examines in this deeply moving anthology the power of intuition. Many women learn from an early age to ignore their strong "inner compass," writes author Jessica Valenti in "Untwisting My Intuition." Poet and therapist Mindy Nettifee describes in "Over the Rainbow" dreading her marriage but waiting for her "inner voices to relax," and realizing years later that trusting herself "radically changed my life for the better." Dara Kass, an emergency room physician, reveals in "Harnessing Catastrophes" how her "clinical gestalt" helps her make life-or-death decisions. Actor Amy Poehler shares in "Practicing the Quiet" a chilling account of being assaulted in college, and her understanding as she's "gotten wiser over the years" that "the quiet space is what we've all been overlooking" Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley writes in "Mirrors," meanwhile, that "we must learn to don our armor and choose which reflections we allow into our hearts." A lively conversation between actor America Ferrera and Tamblyn is especially enjoyable: "Locate your own personal Beyoncé Chakra and protect it at all costs," Ferrera advises. Intimate and thought-provoking, this collection packs a punch. Agent: Anthony Mattero, Creative Artists Agency. (Oct.)

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

The actor and poet delves into women's intuition with a collection of essays featuring a diverse set of voices. How does one go about "reclaiming the power of intuition"? For Tamblyn and many other contributors, it's about exercising a muscle women have long been told to suppress. Women are often taught to ignore the gut feelings that might "lead us toward a personal or professional revelation or freedom." In fact, writes the author, "the destruction of our intuitive lives in our youth is the first major act of misogyny a young girl will experience in a life defined by the normalization of such oppressions." Many of the essays are less prescriptive and more thought-provoking. The contributors provide scientific examinations, dream studies, ruminations on the freedoms of being alone, and ideas about how to process the guilt that comes with making choices that, while correct, may lead to frustration or criticism. Depending on the reader's disposition, Tamblyn's own pieces will come off as self-indulgent or delightful--particularly her extended conversation with her good friend America Ferrera, whom she met while working on The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. By contract, Amy Poehler clearly understood the assignment, concluding, "Intuition depends on instinct plus time, and feelings plus experience." Ayanna Pressley and Huma Abedin write beautifully about how their mothers taught them how to listen and follow their intuition. "I trust that I know and what I know," writes Abedin. "It was something first modeled for me by my mother, who learned it from her own mother, just as it was handed down through the generations of the women who came before them." Other contributors include Jessica Valenti, Lidia Yuknavitch, Ada Limón, Jia Tolentino, Meredith Talusan, and Samantha Irby. Lessons worth learning: Listening and trusting yourself is always going to lead you on the right path eventually. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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