I tend not to like essay collections (even though I always think it sounds like a good idea to read them) and the main reason for that I think is the choppy way the same point ends up being made in several places and grows redundant. Although some of the essays could have been collapsed to a more succinct single point, Bad Feminist explores a wide range of topics, and Gay spoke deeply to me at times with her vulnerable honesty and careful handling of topics not often discussed. I also really appreciated the literary essays which were a welcome return to discussions of novels at a level I haven't read in a while.