In 1978 she published a collection of poems called "And There We Wept: Poems". In 1981 she published her first academic book called "Ain't I a Woman? Black Women and Feminism. "In it, hooks talks about the racism and sexism black women face in the civil rights and feminist movements. hooks started writing "Ain't I a Woman? "when she was 19, and it took her 6 years to write and 8 years to find a publisher. Afterwards, hooks became popular and many wanted to hear her ideas. She is considered an important leftist (anti-capitalism) and postmodern political thinker.