Savala Nolan is a writer, speaker, and lawyer. She is executive director of the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. She and her writing have been featured in Vogue, Time, Harper's Magazine, The New York Times Book Review, and more. She served as an advisor on the Peabodywinning podcast, The Promise. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family.
Review: Don’t Let It Get You Down ‘This fierce and intelligent book is important not just for how it celebrates hard-won pride in one’s identity, but also for how Nolan articulates the complicated—and too often overlooked—nature of personal and cultural in-betweenness.’ https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/savala-nolan/dont-let-it-get-you-down/ * Kirkus * ‘Nolan’s writing on identity and self-worth is captivating from start to finish; her words will resonate long after the last page.’ https://www.libraryjournal.com/review/dont-let-it-get-you-down-essays-on-race-gender-and-the-body-2116601 -- Emily Bowles * Library Journal * ‘Like the 12 essays in Don’t Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the Body, Savala Nolan is powerful and complex.’ https://issuu.com/book_page/docs/0721_bookpage -- Priscilla Kipp * Book Page * Review: Don’t Let It Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the Body ‘…the mix of cultural criticism and thoughtful personal writing will be just right for fans of Roxane Gay.’ https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-982137-26-7 * Publisher's Weekly * Review: Don’t Let it Get You Down: Essays on Race, Gender, and the Body by Savala Nolan ‘Personal and lyrical, this essay collection is full of anecdotes that echo and sentences that stop you in your tracks.’ https://utopia-state-of-mind.com/review-dont-let-it-get-you-down-essays-on-race-gender-and-the-body-by-savala-nolan/ * Utopia State of Mind * Savala Nolan Is Finally Being Heard Loud and Clear ‘Not only is it an important read, but also a delightful one that shows just how multitalented and impressive the author is when taking on subjects that resonate inside of her but also in the bodies and minds of her readers as well.’ https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/books/a37028643/savala-nolan-is-finally-being-heard-loud-and-clear/ -- Scott Neumver * Shondaland.com * Twelve revelatory essays probe with unflinching honesty what it means to be black https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/books/review-12-revelatory-essays-probe-with-unflinching-honesty-what-it-means-to-be-black -- Dolen Perkins-Valdez * San Francisco Chronicle * Savala Nolan Takes a Hard Look at the White Gaze and Its Blind Spots ‘Vulnerable, but rarely veering into self-indulgence . . . it is a brutal, beautifully rendered narrative. A standout collection.’ https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/12/books/review/savala-nolan-dont-let-it-get-you-down.html -- Tressie Mc Millan Cottom * New York Times Book Review * 24 of the best new book releases in June https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/g15922606/new-good-books-to-read/?slide=24 * Cosmopolitan * ‘Please don’t call me strong’: notes on race, gender and the body – an extract https://gal-dem.com/dont-let-it-get-you-down-extract/ * Galdem * Savala Nolan: Don't Let It Get You Down review - finding voice in the liminal ‘Finding her voice, her faith, her self in the liminal, Nolan reclaims a mighty tradition and way of telling for us all.’ https://theartsdesk.com/books/savala-nolan-dont-let-it-get-you-down-review-finding-voice-liminal -- Hannah Hutchings-Georgiou * The Arts Desk *