bell hooks was a groundbreaking author, educator, feminist, and cultural critic whose work focused on race, gender, class, love, and education. Through more than 30 books including Ain’t I a Woman?, Teaching to Transgress, and All About Love she challenged systems of oppression while also emphasizing healing, care, and the creation of just, loving communities. Her writing is widely used in classrooms and community spaces because it invites people to think critically and act compassionately.
Her name is written in lowercase intentionally. bell hooks chose to do this to shift attention away from herself and toward her ideas. By rejecting traditional capitalization, she challenged norms tied to hierarchy and ego, reinforcing her belief that the substance of the work matters more than the individual author.