bell hooks

I actually did this blog like 3 weeks ago. The post didnt go through though. Anyone familiar with the black feminist author bell hooks? I met her recently. Actually she's my new best friend apparently. Lemme explain.....

I was at working at the hotel when she came in and asked me where the washroom was. I pointed her in the right direction and said to myself 'Damn she looks like bell hooks. Nahhh couldnt be!". 2 minutes later a rep from the Chicago Public Library came to me to double check that the payment of Ms. hooks' room had been taken care of. I said to the lady 'I thought that was her! Im a fan of hers'. The lady was like 'Great! I'll introduce you when she comes back!"

Sure enough when Ms. hooks came back, the library lady walked her over and introduced us. I told Ms. hooks that Im a fan of hers (truth!), and that I have a few of her books (not so truth! lol). I have read a couple of her books, but I borrowed those from friends, but she didnt have to know all that, right? I told her I wish I had known b/c I woulda brought a book to sign. She turned to her friends and said "Oh great ladies. Anthony's on the team!" ( Not sure what that meant...but I cautiously took it as a compliment.) She told me she wasnt leaving til tomorrow and left out with her friends. When I looked her up in the system she was set to leave before I got to work. The next day I didnt expect to see her, but she surely came in while I was there. Her car wasnt picking her up til 5pm. I told her I didnt expect to see her and didnt bring my book of hers from home (another not so truth!), but that I'd run to the Border's across the street and grab something.

And that's what I did. I brought her latest book "We Real Cool (Black Men and Masculinity)". It's all about the black male and what people, even us, deem masculine. OH SHIT....that's right up my alley. If you know me.....you know Im not even close to what is perceived to be the typical black male. My sexuality and masculinity has been questioned more times than I care to count, but Im all man. Anyways she was happy that this is the book of hers that I bought. She actually said she hoped I'd get this one. We had a nice talk, albeit brief....about 10 minutes or so. We talked about a bunch of things. She said that I reminded her of this younger guy she dated a few years ago. She's 52. She said that the guy was often ridiculed b/c he was soft spoken, quiet and gentle. People questioned his sexuality b/c of his easy nature. She said it was a good part of the reason she wrote the book. I told her on how I could relate to that. She reiterated how happy she was that I bought the book. So happy in fact....not only did she sign my book... "Anthony! thank you for welcoming me - How lucky I am that men like you exist - In solidarity bell hooks" ................she ALSO wrote her home address in it b/c she wants me to write her when I finish the book! UNBELIEVABLE, right? She left and I promised I would write her when Im done with the book. You would think it ended there but it didnt.

About a week or so after she left....I stop in on my job on my day off to use the phone and I see this huge book in my mailbox. I open it up and it's one of the children's books she had co-written. One of the things her and I had talked about was how important it is to stay in touch with the little kid in yourself. The book is called "Be Boy Buzz". In it she wrote to me " Anthony!! to the boy within - never stop loving him. warmly, bell hooks". Now was that not the sweetest thing ever! Totally unexpected. In fact I dropped her a thank you card in the mail for that one today. So wouldnt you say that she's my new best friend? LOL.