In Loving Corrections, the 12th installment in the Emergent Strategy series, adrienne maree brown (Emergent Strategy, Holding Change) explores how correcting--and being corrected--relates to social change and justice movements. "I stand corrected, over and over and over in my life," writes brown in the opening lines, before dedicating the book to all those who have corrected and taught her and "were willing to get me together." Loving Corrections invites readers into this same space of correction, learning, and getting it together with a series of reflective and compassionate essays that consider "what it looks like to be steady in our offerings of love to each other, even as we learn together and learn from each other."
Loving Corrections is broken into three distinct but inherently interrelated sections. The essays in "Ruminations" center on righting past and present wrongs (patriarchy, racism, ableism, family wounds, to name a few). In "Murmurations," brown offers a selection of essays originally written for her YES! column of the same name, shifting attention from the systemic inequities to the more personal and individual concept of accountability, and how an expanded understanding of it better serves humanity as a whole. The final section, "Solstice and Equinox Spells," weaves brown's reflections into the rhythms of the natural world.
"If we understand that we cannot cancel other living beings from the world, then how do we find dignified ways of being in communities that face, address, and evolve beyond harmful patterns?" This type of questioning places Loving Corrections in a modern context, one drenched in social media and call-out culture, yet deeply rooted in historic and systemic power struggles. Inviting a reframe toward self-reflection and mutual accountability, brown encourages readers to recognize that the personal and interpersonal is inherently political: "my real goal at all times is to help us learn to love ourselves and each other... it feels like some of the most important political work of my life, weaving networks of love and care."
Loving Corrections provides readers a soulful addition to that lifelong work of love and care, as brown shares her wisdom and curiosity on the page to invite, challenge, and encourage new ways of thinking and being. In an era steeped in division and hateful rhetoric, it's hard to imagine a more important or necessary reminder that learning and accountability are best wielded not as tools of punishment and power but as keys to remembering our shared humanity on an endangered planet. --Kerry McHugh, freelance writer
Shelf Talker: This compassionate and reflective collection of essays invites readers to reconsider the role of correction, learning, and accountability in social justice movements.