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jashegerova's review against another edition
4.0
Some of these were fascinating, and some bored me to death. Whoever said she writes like Didion owes me 10 days of my life.
campjamie's review against another edition
Not going to give this a star review - half of the essays in this book were very interesting to me, so I liked them, and the other half were on topics I didn’t care about, so I can’t evaluate them. This is probably a better collection for someone who likes ~art~
samstillreading's review against another edition
4.0
Rachel Kushner is an author I have always meant to read, but never got around to until now. Although she is best known for her fiction, The Hard Crowd is a collection of essays from the last twenty years on a wide range of topics. All are brilliantly written, sharp and well researched. While not all the topics were my jam, overall it was a thought provoking read.
The first essay is about a sort-of-illegal motorbike race, which reminded me a little of the Dakar rally but without the money behind it. It’s a gripping read and introduces Kushner to the reader as a woman who knows a lot about a wide range of topics. Several other essays mention classic cars she’s owned or owns (like the Ford Galaxie on the cover). I would have been happy for more about these cars, but sadly it was not to be. Other essays were on topics that I knew little about, such as Shuafat Refugee Camp in East Jerusalem, which were fascinating. The Italian politics of the 1970s and the underground films or art I was less interested in, but Kushner puts well informed knowledge forward with strong arguments. Kushner has also lived a fascinating life and her tales of San Francisco outside the tourist realm were captivating. I’d love to read her memoirs or a history of the city written by her. Her writing is always clear, with no room for ambiguity. She writes strongly and I’d love to read more of her non-fiction, focusing of her observations of life.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The first essay is about a sort-of-illegal motorbike race, which reminded me a little of the Dakar rally but without the money behind it. It’s a gripping read and introduces Kushner to the reader as a woman who knows a lot about a wide range of topics. Several other essays mention classic cars she’s owned or owns (like the Ford Galaxie on the cover). I would have been happy for more about these cars, but sadly it was not to be. Other essays were on topics that I knew little about, such as Shuafat Refugee Camp in East Jerusalem, which were fascinating. The Italian politics of the 1970s and the underground films or art I was less interested in, but Kushner puts well informed knowledge forward with strong arguments. Kushner has also lived a fascinating life and her tales of San Francisco outside the tourist realm were captivating. I’d love to read her memoirs or a history of the city written by her. Her writing is always clear, with no room for ambiguity. She writes strongly and I’d love to read more of her non-fiction, focusing of her observations of life.
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
maraa222's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
4.0
interlibraryloan's review against another edition
4.0
just a really splendid collection of essays. although a few stood out to me more than others, none were forgettable