Reclaiming the Black Body, Alishia McCullough
Reclaiming the Black Body, Alishia McCullough
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Reclaiming the Black Body
Nourishing the Home Within

Author: Alishia McCullough

Narrator: Alishia McCullough

Unabridged: 12 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/14/2025


Synopsis

An essential exploration of the overlooked impact of disordered eating among Black women—and a prescriptive road map to returning to wholeness within our bodies, from the clinical therapist who founded Black and Embodied Counseling and Consulting PLLC

“Lights a radical path away from trauma and blame toward healing, self-acceptance and, ultimately, joy.”—Linda Villarosa, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America

Food has always been a political tool for the oppressor—and the Black body has always been one of its many battlegrounds.

Licensed mental health therapist, somatic healer, and eating disorder specialist Alishia McCullough understands that for far too many Black women, racial trauma’s seismic impact has disrupted their most essential relationship: the one they have with their bodies—and by extension, with their food. African Americans are disproportionately impacted by disordered eating behaviors, yet their experiences are frequently neglected by doctors and mental health experts. As a result, our most vulnerable communities are forced to navigate systems primed to dismiss their needs, leaving them without proper care, or often even the language they need to identify what’s wrong.

McCullough’s groundbreaking work radically validates the lived experiences and generational traumas of BIPOC communities. As part of a steadily growing movement among clinicians to “decolonize therapy,” her deeply affirming approach seeks to understand disordered eating patterns by examining the psychological wounds left by centuries of racism.

Weaving together crucial history, compelling client stories, guided meditation, journal prompts, and McCullough’s own journey with disordered eating behaviors, Reclaiming the Black Body offers readers a safe space to feel seen—and a powerful pathway to healing. This revealing, potentially life-saving book illuminates the way home, back to the safety and comfort found within our bodies.

About The Author

Alishia McCullough (she/her) is a licensed clinical mental health therapist and founder of Black and Embodied Counseling and Consulting PLLC. She specializes in somatic therapy, trauma healing, and eating disorder treatment with a focus on cultivating embodiment and fostering liberation. Alishia also runs the self-paced online course Reimagining Eating Disorders 101.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Brian on December 13, 2024

I want to give a big thank you to Random House Publishing, Dial Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of Alishia McCullough’s important and provocative call for healing the relationship that Black women and femmes have with their bodies in her book Reclaiming the Black Body: No......more

Goodreads review by Alexa on October 24, 2024

Reclaiming the Black Body is about Mental Health, Diet Culture, Beauty Standards, Medical Racism, Food Deserts, fatphobia etc and WHEW! I would recommend this book to any Black woman or GNC person on a body acceptance journey. It’s very eye opening as eating disorders and like are not something that......more

Goodreads review by jas on August 31, 2024

what a beautiful, vulnerable, informative, transformative, NECESSARY book. i feel so honoured to have gotten the chance to read an advanced copy. that is definitely a book i will be coming back to time & time again, and will be referring it and/or sharing bits from it to so many folks in my life. i......more

Goodreads review by Mary on January 23, 2025

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC. In Reclaiming the Black Body, Alishia McCullough dissects the ways in which disordered eating behaviors in BIPOC are impacted by generational trauma and white supremacy. This book is absolutely jam packed with insight into underexplore......more

Goodreads review by Shayla on February 13, 2025

This was a very insightful read that I will be thinking about for a while. Black bodies, especially Black women and femmes, have been weaponized through slavery, white supremacy, and patriarchal society. It was refreshing to see someone like Alishia talk about these complex topics from a Black perso......more


Quotes

“Alishia McCullough provides a new vision for exploring eating disorders and their largely unexamined consequences on Black bodies. With depth and a great deal of empathy, Reclaiming the Black Body lights a radical path away from trauma and blame toward healing, self-acceptance and, ultimately, joy.”—Linda Villarosa, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on Health in America

“A powerful and profound call to not only reclaim but to re-envision Black bodies, Black wellness, and Black liberation. Alishia McCullough has done a beautiful job fusing spiritual and ancestral wisdom with stats and stories to support our personal and collective understanding.”—Rachel Ricketts, bestselling author of Do Better

Reclaiming the Black Body is a must-read. Written by a Black woman with us (Black women) at the center, it’s informative, refreshing, and restorative for the soul. It’s a beautiful work of art, and I can’t recommend it enough.”—Chrissy King, author of The Body Liberation Project

“[A] beacon of light . . . Alishia McCullough’s writing provides a sense of grounding and ease unlike any that I’ve experienced, and calls to each one of us interested in transforming the experiences of our bodies. Reclaiming the Black Body is something that everyone needs to access; we will be better as a collective for doing so.”—Jessica Wilson, author of It’s Always Been Ours: Rewriting the Story of Black Women’s Bodies

“This book is the essential tool to redeem the Black body in a sustainable way, a roadmap for an embodied Black liberation that centers us all.”—Dr. Mariel Buqué, author of Break the Cycle: A Guide to Healing Intergenerational Trauma

“Alishia McCullough‘s radical approach ignites crucial conversations around eating disorders within Black communities and paves pathways to liberation and self-love. With courage and compassion, she confronts the entrenched systems of oppression surrounding eating disorders while integrating profound wisdom.”—Patricia Duggan, licensed therapist and somatic healer

“In the traditionally conservative landscape of eating disorders Alishia McCullough stands out as a trailblazer . . . The transformative impact of her work is evident, reaching and influencing thousands within the community.”—Gloria Lucas, eating disorder awareness educator and founder of Nalgona Positivity Pride

“Alishia McCullough is a healer, thought leader and paradigm shifter. Her work is truly ahead of its time.”—Ilya Parker, educator and founder of the Decolonizing Fitness movement

“Innovative and groundbreaking, Reclaiming the Black Body asks us to consider the ways in which we are disconnected from ourselves and why. Embodiment is a lifelong revolutionary act that requires support and self-compassion. McCullough assures us that it’s worth it, and there is hope and healing ahead.”—BookPage, starred review