Book Release and Signing
HAIR/POWER: Essays on Control and Freedom
by Kajal Odedra
Tuesday, October 27th
6:30 pm
Join us for a conversation, book signing and a glass of wine.
Wine and non-alcoholic drinks will be served.
Gather with us on October 27th for a book signing and talk with author Kajal Odedra in conversation with hairstylist and founder of SALON Rubi Aguilar. Rubi and Kajal will discuss Kajal’s latest book, Hair/Power: Essays on Control and Freedom.
Braiding together memoir and cultural criticism, Hair/Power explores the power, control, and ultimate liberation that hair can provide.
Growing up as a second-generation Indian immigrant, Kajal Odedra remembers the first time she cut her waist-length hair. It was an act of rage, of defiance, an attempt to push back against societal expectations and regain control.
Odedra realized at an early age that hair is never “just hair,” and both its presence and absence can have a profound impact on our lives across race, gender, and sexuality. While hair is a powerful form of self-expression, it is also a political battleground, where bodies are policed and normative beauty standards wreak havoc. But who is setting the standards, and how can we dispel these harmful cultural myths?
Interspersing intimate anecdotes with intersectional commentary, Hair/Power dives into the origins and cultural significance of hair—considering buzz cuts, Mohawks, Afros and the natural hair movement, baldness, and more—exposing the roots of a beauty industry built on discrimination. Ultimately Odedra is able to find joy and strength in hair, and she shows us how hair can be a powerful tool for activism, community building, and bringing about our shared liberation.
Signed books will be available for sale by Books Are Magic.
About Kajal: Kajal Odedra is a British-Indian author and activist based in Brooklyn. She is the author of Hair/Power: Essays on Control and Freedom and Do Something: Activism for Everyone. Her writing explores identity, belonging and the power we have to create change, and has appeared in the Guardian, Independent, New Statesman and The Times. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Goldsmiths, University of London, and was shortlisted for the Pat Kavanagh Award. Alongside her writing, she serves as Vice President of Global Communications at Change.org.
About Rubi: Rubi Aguilar is a NY-based hairdresser represented by Julian Watson Agency. She runs Salon, a creative studio centered around the intersection of hair and culture.
About Books Are Magic: Books Are Magic is a family-owned independent bookstore with locations in Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens and Brooklyn Heights in Brooklyn, committed to being a welcoming, friendly, and inclusive space for all people. We believe that books are indeed magic, and that literature is one of the best ways to create empathy, transportation, and transformation. We are enthusiastic about offering thoughtfully selected voices and stories on our shelves, and about hosting affordable events featuring emerging writers as well as long-adored authors. Books Are Magic is a place for children to feel comfortable, for young readers to grow into lifelong readers, and for our neighbors to be introduced to vibrant new books. Books Are Magic is owned by Emma Straub and Michael Fusco-Straub. You can read more about Emma Straub's books here.