Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We're Not Hurting by Terrie M. Williams

Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting, begins with a 6 word statement that commands the reader’s attention. “I am a woman on fire.”  Read a bit further and the fuel for the book’s author, Terrie M. Williams, is revealed: her personal struggle with major depression that went untreated for decades.

Her skill sets honed as a highly successful public relations advisor and clinical social worker synergize with the perspective afforded by her own path to create a truly exceptional, enlightening and inspiring book about depression in the black community. She skillfully examines the issues with a 360 degree view. There are chapters devoted to black women, black men, black youth, the roles that can be played by friends and the black church, and the processes of healing, help seeking and treatment. A great deal of information is covered, but the read is not dry at all because of the warmth of Williams’ voice and the use of personal stories of others who have been depressed. These stories are told in such a way that readers can easily see loved ones, or even themselves, in these narratives.  

This book is highly recommended for people who are depressed or think they may be, loved ones, people in leadership, clergy, and mental health clinicians who want to understand the cultural nuances of depression and treatment seeking in the black community.  It has received rave reviews from a wide array of public figures ranging from religious leaders like Bishop T.D. Jakes and the Rev. Al Sharpton to columnists like Roland S. Martin, from entertainers like Mary J. Blige and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges to top black psychiatrists like Dr. Annelle Primm and Dr. Carl Bell.

Believe the hype, and pick up a copy of Black Pain: It Just Looks Like We’re Not Hurting today. (It’s even available on kindle.)