Roxane Gay can write short, smart, and insightful essays at an unparalleled level. I don’t have a subscription to the NY Times, so I had never read these before. While at least half of these essays deal directly or indirectly with race, there is still some levity. The author appreciates pop culture with an unabashed fervor that resonates with her readers. 

There have been quite a few non-fiction books out lately that talk about an artist who does reprehensible things and whether the work should be considered separate from the artist. The author was one who considered this several years ago, and her thesis is somewhat different from the more recent considerations. Her thesis is that the artist cannot be separated from the work, and basically the artist will be canceled forever for her (although she didn’t use the term “canceled”), like Bill Cosby and Roseanne Barr.

The essays are organized by topic, and they move from older to more recent within each section. This ordering really worked for me, and I liked that the “fluffier”/more pop culture pieces were later on in the book. 

If you do not align with Roxane Gay politically, let’s just say that you likely will not appreciate this collection of essays like I do.