Bad Feminist

I found this book hard to read, maybe because I am over 60 and didn't relate to a lot of the pop culture that she referred to. I am a feminist and have been since the 70's so this just didn't resonate with me and I skipped around and put it down.

The premise of this book is so good - "bad feminist" doesn't mean Gay doesn't care about equality for women; it means she is imperfect. The essays in this book are relatable and illuminating, tackling topics ranging from pop culture to the personal.

I am a fan of Roxane Gay. This diverse collection of essays is well written and filled with raw insights into Gay's evolution as a woman and her perspective on the culture we live in. I recommend it highly!

Author's voice is strong, and funny, and smart, and passionate.

Well built collection of essays, much of it already published elsewhere, showing Gay as a thoughtful and complex critical thinker about our era. Recommended to readers who enjoy insights on politics and culture.

Bahni Turpin was a great narrator

I follow Roxane Gay's commentary on pop culture, so I enjoyed this chance to read her collected writings. The essays cover a lot of ground from her own personal experiences to commentary on how pop culture handles race and gender issues. Part of being a bad feminist, per her own definition, is that she can only write from her own experiences and perspectives, and she doesn't want to be placed on a pedestal and claim to have all the answers. I can live with that and by the same logic may very well be a bad feminist too.

So much has been written about Roxane Gay and her essays that I don't think I can add anything unique or new to the already existing commentary. This collection of essays, some long, some very short, was definitely ahead of it's time. While her pop culture and movie critiques are still satisfyingly relevant, I suggest foregoing some of the political essays in this collection and seeking out some of her more recent essays, post-Trump and #metoo movement, because Gay starts those conversation in some of these essays and surely has much more to say now that these issues have moved into the mainstream.

So much has been written about Roxane Gay and her essays that I don't think I can add anything unique or new to the already existing commentary. This collection of essays, some long, some very short, was definitely ahead of it's time. While her pop culture and movie critiques are still satisfyingly relevant, I suggest foregoing some of the political essays in this collection and seeking out some of her more recent essays, post-Trump and #metoo movement, because Gay starts those conversations in this collection and surely has much more to say now that these issues have moved into the mainstream.

A collection of smart, searing, and often funny essays. Gay brings her sharp intellect to explore aspects of American life in a culture which is in turns challenging, ridiculous, complicated, uplifting, and tragic. Her tone is conversational and deeply personal. Worthwhile and thought provoking read.

While a lot has changed in a very few years, as a 2018 reader will notice, this is an excellent, smart look at pop culture viewed through an intersectional feminist lens.