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jimbowen0306's review against another edition
3.0
A few years ago, I read Changing my Mind, a collection of essays by Zadie Smith, and it was a good read. This book had a similar structure to that book, with sections on her views on politics (Brexit, and local government spending), books and how she writes, and life in general.
It wasn't a bad read, but it left me cold. What she wrote changed my view of certain things, but they didn't excite me as much, and they sure as hell didn't "call me to action" in the same way that her previous book did. As an example, she wrote reviews in Changing My Mind, and I actually went out an read the books because if thing. With the exception of a book on insects, that simply isn't going to happen here.
It wasn't a bad read, but it left me cold. What she wrote changed my view of certain things, but they didn't excite me as much, and they sure as hell didn't "call me to action" in the same way that her previous book did. As an example, she wrote reviews in Changing My Mind, and I actually went out an read the books because if thing. With the exception of a book on insects, that simply isn't going to happen here.
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I enjoyed reading Smith's essays. There were a couple I absolutely adored and read more than once.
lbhreads's review against another edition
4.0
reading zadie smith is my fave thought daughter activity
sidharthvardhan's review against another edition
5.0
"They are always very interested to hear that you don’t read music. Once, you almost said—to a sneaky fellow from the Daily News, who was inquiring—you almost turned to him and said Motherfucker I AM music. But a lady does not speak like that, however, and so you did not."
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/crazy-they-call-me
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/03/06/crazy-they-call-me
rainbowesque's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
I tried to venture out of my comfort reading zone but I realized ESSAYS AREN'T MY THING.
tildahlia's review against another edition
2.0
I don't think I came to this book with the right frame of mind, but I confess to being an underappreciator of Zadie. Her use of language is wonderful but I don't find her writing to be as engaging as I want it to be. I also find a lot of her perspectives (despite often focused on pop culture) to feel older (read: more boomer) than I would expect, particularly as it relates to technology and social media. As someone who is also very On The Internet, I can tell she isn't - which is fine but sometimes is exposing in One The Internet-type topics.