Sometimes when I talk to my students about their writing, I use the metaphor of diving and gymnastics routines, and how they are often (or used to be) graded on a curve of difficulty. So a very hard routine that falls short still get high marks over all. So the student who tried to use the “Mandela Effect” as proof of a multiverse gets a lot of credit trying something audacious, even when it comes up decidedly short. And the student who writes an uninspired […]
When your comfort becomes your affliction
I’d already read Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay when I saw her on The Daily Show talking about her newest book, Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (2017). The interview was great, and I was immediately interested in the book. There was a long wait list at the library, but I picked it up as soon as I could. “These are the ugliest, weakest, barest parts of me. This is my truth.” (2) Roxane Gay has been struggling with her weight since she was gang raped at twelve years […]
A raw and gripping memoir about body, desire, and longing
I read Bad Feminist for a previous CBR, and really liked it a lot. Roxane Gay’s voice is crucial in feminist discourse, and I highly recommend her to anyone who wants to be a better intersectional feminist. That said, Bad Feminist was billed to me as a hilarious book, and it absolutely is not. That’s not a knock on it, but the marketing. I did feel, however, that the marketing for Hunger was much more appropriate and left me more prepared for what I was […]
I don’t know how I let things get so out of control, but I do
Every human that I know and trust in my life has heard me rave about this book. I’m going to keep my lunatic love for Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body to a tight word count here, but please know that if we are sitting together for any length of time, and the opportunity to talk about it comes up, you won’t be allowed to get a word in edgewise for probably at least two hours. I love it. I love Roxane Gay’s voice. I […]