All About Love: New Visions

A New York Times bestseller and enduring classic, All About Love is the acclaimed first volume in feminist icon bell hooks' "Love Song to the Nation" trilogy. All About Love reveals what causes a polarized society, and how to heal the divisions that cause suffering. Here is the truth about love, and inspiration to help us instill caring, compassion, and strength in our homes, schools, and workplaces.

“The word ‘love’ is most often defined as a noun, yet we would all love better if we used it as a verb,” writes bell hooks as she comes out fighting and on fire in All About Love. Provocative and intensely personal, renowned scholar, cultural critic and feminist bell hooks offers a proactive new ethic for a society stricken with lovelessness—not the lack of romance, but the lack of care, compassion, and unity. People are divided, she declares, by society’s failure to provide a model for learning to love. 

In this landmark book, bell hooks explores the question “What is love?” Her answers strike at both the mind and heart. Disputing that the ideal love is infused with sex and desire, she provides a new path to love that is sacred, redemptive, and healing for individuals and for a nation. All About Love is a powerful, timely affirmation of just how profoundly love and community can change hearts and minds for the better. 

BUY THE BOOK

Published Jan 9, 2001

272 pages

Average rating: 8.18

1,014 RATINGS

|

Join a book club that is reading All About Love: New Visions!

The Imaginarium

Welcome to the Imaginarium, where we can imagine new worlds together! Fall into fantastic, alternative, and possible worlds in an inclusive, feminist, and diverse booklist, including fantasy, academic theory, humor, fairy tales, adventure, and mystery.

Sisterhood Stories

Welcome to Sisterhood Stories Book Club! I'm really happy to be reading with you all. We read diverse work over here! Join us!

The Lit(erary) Collective.

All-inclusive group for lovers of books by BIPOC authors who value & promote intellectual engagement, diversity of thought, and community enrichment.

Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *All About Love: New Visions* by bell hooks is a transformative exploration redefining love as a conscious choice rooted in honesty, care,...

Maxihistorias
Jan 06, 2026
10/10 stars
great book with a great question: who teaches us how to love in society?
Anne Phillips
Jan 03, 2026
8/10 stars
Reread this book after probably 12 or more years for a book club and I had to knock a star off. Parts of the book had me thinking “ok boomer!” Perhaps it was all her elevation of Marianne Williamso, lol.. Hooks also straight up victim blames Monica Lewinsky. Also as a fierce hater of both toxic masculinity and economic inequality, I found some of her assertions to be overly simplistic. Finally, too much angel talk — glad I never read her angel book.
ShayLynn
Dec 28, 2025
10/10 stars
"All About Love" by Bell Hooks is a transformative exploration of love that challenges conventional perceptions and invites us to deepen our understanding of this essential human experience. Hooks defines love as "the will to extend one’s self for the purpose of nurturing one’s own or another’s spiritual growth." This perspective reshapes how we view love, emphasizing that it is not merely a feeling but a conscious choice. One of the book’s most compelling themes is the importance of community. Hooks inspires us to recognize our collective power to build communities grounded in love and compassion, especially in today's divided world. She encourages us to actively choose to love, reinforcing that love is a commitment that invites accountability. Furthermore, she asserts that the highest form of love is that of God, urging us to strive for a divine love that promotes growth and healing in ourselves and others. "All About Love" is not just a thought provoking work it’s a call to action. Hooks’ engaging narrative and practical insights encourage readers to reflect on how they can embody love in their daily lives. For anyone ready to embrace love's potential to transform their relationships and communities, this book is a must read and a powerful reminder that we can choose to love boldly and authentically.
Bertaok
Oct 25, 2025
8/10 stars
Love explained from different perspectives, not only the romantic one. Good read
Channn.2
Oct 13, 2025
8/10 stars
Very insightful this book is just what the world needs to heal. You do have to read this with a open mind and open heart in order to fully grasp the truths of this book

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.