Sisterhood Heals is the book I wish I could’ve had when I was young teenage girl or in my early 20s. However, at 25 I still found this book insightful in its discourse regarding the power of friendship/community amongst black women. With any book that falls into the self-help category, I treat them like a grocery store: get the essentials and come back later if need be for things I may have missed. Though I enjoyed the audiobook, this book I feel is best consumed in physical form considering there are questions that the reader can journal, so please keep that in mind if you would like get the full benefits during your read!

Bradford takes time carefully explaining how systems in place such as patriarchy, white supremacy, capitalism etc., inevitably affect the bonds we share with other black women. For example, the way we have been socialized to view other women that do not abide by certain respectability politics can leads to harsh judgment. The author encourages the reader to lead with curiosity when it comes to finding our sisters rather than preconceived notions halting the process. By Bradford pointing out how harmful systems affect even friendship, something became glaringly clear: It is imperative that black women not only acknowledge that there indeed is a status quo, but to also do the internal work to make sure they are not upholding these harmful regimes or ideas. 

That being said, we also can’t be a community of sisters that fail to (respectfully) point out when another sister is upholding or in some cases, enforcing these harmful ideals and/or being a willing participant in these systems. Sisterhood Heals is the book every black women needs to pick up at some point as it a helpful building block in learning how to construct, cultivate, and nourish the bonds we share with the black women around us.