Twisted: My Dreadlock Chronicles
Language: English
Published by Agate Publishing, 2015
- Softcover
- Used
Seller: World of Books Inc, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.World of Books Inc
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
Condition: Used - Good
£ 5.88
Quantity: 2 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
A witty, fascinating, and unprecedented account of black male identity as seen through our culture's perceptions of hair.
Seller Inventory # CIN1932841962G
- Title
- Twisted: My Dreadlock Chronicles
- Author
- Bert Ashe
- Publisher
- Agate Publishing
- Publication year
- 2015
- Condition
- Good
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1932841962
- ISBN 13
- 9781932841961
After leading a far-too-conventional life for forty years, Ashe began a long, arduous, uncertain process of locking his own hair in an attempt to step out of American convention. Black hair, after all, matters. Few Americans are subject to snap judgements like those in the African-American community, and fewer communities face such loaded criticism about their appearances, in particular their hair. Twisted: My Dreadlock Chronicles makes the argument that the story of dreadlocks in America can’t be told except in front of the backdrop of black hair in America.
Ask most Americans about dreadlocks and they immediately conjure a picture of Bob Marley: on stage, mid-song, dreads splayed. When most Americans see dreadlocks, a range of assumptions quickly follow: he's Jamaican, he's Rasta, he plays reggae; he stinks, he smokes, he deals; he's bohemian, he's creative, he's counter-cultural. Few styles in America have more symbolism and generate more conflicting views than dreadlocks. To "read" dreadlocks is to take the cultural pulse of America. To read Twisted: My Dreadlock Chronicles is to understand a larger story about the truths and biases present in how we perceive ourselves and others. Ashe's riveting and intimate work, a genuine first of its kind, will be a seminal work for years to come.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review
"An exhilarating heartfelt memoir about a black man and his dreds and all the world in between." Junot Díaz, author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
"A hilarious, erudite, obsessive compulsive rant through black bohemia and black style." Trey Ellis, author of Platitudes and Right Here, Right Now
"It’s really just hair, but it also represents something much deeper for people who are marginalized. And Twisted offers a complete and satisfying explanation of why that is so." Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, The Washington Post
"Beneath the sometimes outré humor and self-deprecating tone of Twisted are serious and poignant questions about the nature of black identity, who shapes it and why and how black folks might finally seize control of that identity themselves." Erin Aubry Kaplan, Los Angeles Times
". . . An anthem and a love song to dreadlocks. Ashe's story is one of yearning written with poetic frankness." Shelf Awareness, starred review
". . . Twisted is incredibly witty and entertaining. Here is a voice fresh with enthusiasm, both defiant and strong." Hope Wabuke, The Root
"In this delightfully written, amusing, well-researched, and often scholarly chronicle, Ashe reveals the landscape of race, politics, sociology, and even the economics of hairstyles." Booklist starred review
"Twisted is equal parts amusing as it is enlightening for readers, regardless of their hair textures, and a necessary read that finally gives dreadlocks the praise they deserve." Nylon
"Twisted will inspire you to look in the mirror and investigate what messages are conveyed by your clothes, your demeanor and, most importantly, your hair." Danielle Deavens, Essence
"Ashe refuses to be stifled by typical academic strictures, and his attitude throughout seems playfully serious (or seriously playful), as he details more about dreads their origin, their rise to popularity, their co-option, their care and upkeep than most readers will think they would want to know." Kirkus Reviews
". . . An eye-opening read, but one that will keep you smiling from cover to cover." Emily Laurence, Brit + Co
"I really do admire it. Bert Ashe is amazingly willing to acknowledge all of the ways in which underneath the dreads is just a guy with a mixture of identities, and that the dreads might appear to resolve such issues, but actually do nothing of the kind. I found Twisted deeply satisfying. By the end of the book, I felt as if I had been taken on a quite serious emotional and intellectual journey." David Shields, author of Reality Hunger: A Manifesto and Black Planet: Facing Race During an NBA Season
"As his mane grows and twists, Ashe does likewise with his tales, with his thoughts, and, delightfully, with the process of the style, the reasons why he waited to grow his dreads, and why . . . he's kept them." The Times Weekly
"I like the style, the moves, the sense of rhythm and riff and the seeming ease with which [Twisted]. . . pulls off some extraordinary effects. The plot is about dreadlocks, but at its heart Twisted is the narrative of the emerging and expanding self." John Callahan, literary executor for Ralph Ellison and editor of Ellison’s Juneteenth
"[Ashe's] is a welcome fresh voice, starting a conversation about black culture from a quirky, fun angle." Metro
"I enjoyed Twisted! It’s obsessive and weird and funny in all the right ways." Danzy Senna, bestselling author of Caucasia and You Are Free
"Bert [Ashe] keeps you intrigued and delighted throughout the book’s various strands. . . . Twisted, at bottom, is an unusual expose of the African American male: whereas machismo, sexual exploits, or political issues are usually at the forefront, Bert convinces us that his hairstyle is the central issue in his attempt to express himself and discover himself. You'll be surprised how much we learn about American culture through Bert's fascinating wrestling match with his locks." Daryl Cumber Dance, author of Honey, Hush!: An Anthology of African American Women’s Humor and From My People: 400 Years of African American Folklore
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
World of Books Inc
Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 4 to 12 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 0.00 | £ 8.22 |
Payment methods
Store description
Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books — giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books – Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world’s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission …
Specialty
Second Hand - All GenreSeller's business information
SBYB, Inc.
900 Knell Road
Montgomery, IL U.S.A. 60538
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to World of Books Inc, Montgomery, Illinois, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.