Book Club with Mandy Wiener: `The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women'

702’s Relebogile Mabotja and Mandy Wiener speak with Michelle Kekana, Author of ‘The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women’

Listen below:

Michelle Kekana’s debut book explores what it means to be ‘strong’ from the perspective of the South African women brought to a breaking point.

The book follows three women at different stages of their lives who are navigating life, love, mental health and the burden of being "strong".

She explores the expectations placed on Black women and the challenges that come with being labelled as strong.

“Often black women have to set themselves alight to keep society warm.”

- Michelle Kekana, Author of ‘The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women’ (IN: 09:50)

Kekana also tries to open a dialogue on therapy, depression, anxiety, and emotional labour in domestic spaces in the novel.

She says that women are often forced to be a "rock" and are not given an opportunity to express their feelings or be fragile.

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“Even when women are falling apart, society teaches us to fall apart in a way that does not inconvenience anyone else.” 

- Michelle Kekana, Author of ‘The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women’ (IN: 05:55)

She says she chose to write about these struggles in fiction so it would appeal to a wider audience.

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