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calarco 's review for:
Bad Feminist
by Roxane Gay
Roxane Gay is one of the funniest authors around. This is especially impressive, as she tends to write a great deal about injustice and trauma; that’s a tough line to walk and she just does it near effortlessly. I believe this is due to her direct, frank, and blunt honesty. Overall, [b:Bad Feminist|18813642|Bad Feminist|Roxane Gay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1421292744l/18813642._SY75_.jpg|26563816] is a pretty solid read that I enjoyed a great deal.
Gay can at times take on a stream-of-consciousness style with short story format (as seen with [b:Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body|26074156|Hunger A Memoir of (My) Body|Roxane Gay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448064366l/26074156._SY75_.jpg|42362558]) and while it does lead to a disjointed narrative flow at times, it also reflects on the authenticity of voice with which she speaks. I think this approach ultimately works really well for this collection as she delves into topics surrounding the at times polarizing topic of “feminism.”
Roxane Gay is certainly a feminist, but she acknowledges how the realities of life lead to a series of negotiations that can leave one feeling like they don’t measure up to their greater core values. People are inherently messy and cannot individually embody an entire social movement 100% of the time. All we can do is try our best. Since Gay roots this understanding in empathy for the chaotic mind, it also makes for her explorations of darker subject matters all the more fruitful.
“I learned a long time ago that life introduces young people to situations they are in no way prepared for, even good girls, lucky girls who want for nothing. Sometimes, when you least expect it, you become the girl in the woods. You lose your name because another one is forced on you. You think you are alone until you find books about girls like you. Salvation is certainly among the reasons I read. Reading and writing have always pulled me out of the darkest experiences of my life.” (145)
Reading Roxane Gay’s work certainly gives me the very catharsis that she gets from other authors’ works, and I will always be grateful to her for this.
Gay can at times take on a stream-of-consciousness style with short story format (as seen with [b:Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body|26074156|Hunger A Memoir of (My) Body|Roxane Gay|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448064366l/26074156._SY75_.jpg|42362558]) and while it does lead to a disjointed narrative flow at times, it also reflects on the authenticity of voice with which she speaks. I think this approach ultimately works really well for this collection as she delves into topics surrounding the at times polarizing topic of “feminism.”
Roxane Gay is certainly a feminist, but she acknowledges how the realities of life lead to a series of negotiations that can leave one feeling like they don’t measure up to their greater core values. People are inherently messy and cannot individually embody an entire social movement 100% of the time. All we can do is try our best. Since Gay roots this understanding in empathy for the chaotic mind, it also makes for her explorations of darker subject matters all the more fruitful.
“I learned a long time ago that life introduces young people to situations they are in no way prepared for, even good girls, lucky girls who want for nothing. Sometimes, when you least expect it, you become the girl in the woods. You lose your name because another one is forced on you. You think you are alone until you find books about girls like you. Salvation is certainly among the reasons I read. Reading and writing have always pulled me out of the darkest experiences of my life.” (145)
Reading Roxane Gay’s work certainly gives me the very catharsis that she gets from other authors’ works, and I will always be grateful to her for this.