“Humans are flawed beings. Some flaws are mere wrinkles, some are cracks, and some are the Grand Canyon.”
That line is from one of my favorite books, I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual by Luvvie Ajayi Jones. What led me to the discovery of this book was a journey down the internet rabbit hole learning about Yvonne Orji, a friend and fellow Nigerian of Luvvie. Yvonne has a lead role on one of my favorite series, Insecure. Together, they host a podcast called Jesus and Jollof. One discovery led to another and after listening to Luvvie’s podcast, Rants and Randomness, I landed on her book.
Luvvie is a comedian, activist, and blogger. She is wise beyond her years, and serves up a funny and enlightening book about common sense. She covers a wide range of topics from social media etiquette to the pervasiveness of rape culture to understanding racism. There are sections that will draw you in and you’ll want to keep reading the rest. She calls out bad behavior unabashedly, in a world where we’re hyper focused on technology, forgetting proper decorum in a lot of things. Her wordplay alone is enough to continue reading. She has a way with words that feels like poetry on the page.
One of my favorite passages comes from the book’s introduction where Luvvie lays out the framework for what’s to follow.
“…This book will address everything from the quirks that earn my shallower-than-a-Snapple-cap gripes to the really problematic things people do that leave the world worse than we found it and inspire my wrath— from side-eyeing our beauty, hygiene, relationship, friendship, and everyday decisions to calling out oppression and inequality, phobia-driven social systems, and people’s views on race, religion, and being different; to frowning at the endlessly wrong ways we’re using digital platforms in our business and personal relationships…”
That is just the tip of the iceberg. I think everyone can learn something from this book, or find something that resonates with them. What I got out of I’m Judging You is the ability to be more aware of myself, the world around me, and how I interact with others. Luvvie will leave you evaluating and asking yourself how you can do better.
Outside of writing, Luvvie is also a phenomenal speaker and has done several speaking engagements, including TED talks. You can find the content here. If you’d like to read more, pick up Luvvie’s new book, Professional Troublemaker: The Fear-Fighter Manual, making its appearance in March 2021.
