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leanne_who_reads's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.5
I don't know what to think or make of this. I found it to be quite a slow read at first but after the first 160 or so pages it began to pick up the pace for me. While I was reading this, in the beginning, I found it hard to grasp much of what the author was saying. To be honest, I felt like I was dumb and that I was not computing any of what she was saying in the first few chapters. It all just went over my head.
There was some stuff about dance, exercise and Lululemon that I can vaguely recall.
I quite enjoyed the parts of the book where she was talking about the sexual assaults that happened in UVA, as well as some of the stuff she had to say about the 2016 election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Overall this book is about the author's experiences growing up in a religion, leaving her religion, going on a show in her tweens, going into journalism and the Peace Corps after college, not wanting to get married and all of her thoughts about society and how she rejects society's norms, doesn't want to be diminished by society, as well as wanting to be glorified when she wants to.
There was some stuff about dance, exercise and Lululemon that I can vaguely recall.
I quite enjoyed the parts of the book where she was talking about the sexual assaults that happened in UVA, as well as some of the stuff she had to say about the 2016 election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
Overall this book is about the author's experiences growing up in a religion, leaving her religion, going on a show in her tweens, going into journalism and the Peace Corps after college, not wanting to get married and all of her thoughts about society and how she rejects society's norms, doesn't want to be diminished by society, as well as wanting to be glorified when she wants to.
hilary_weckstein's review against another edition
4.0
“the I in Internet” and “I Thee Dread” are my favorites but I enjoyed every essay!
tildahlia's review against another edition
4.0
This book is great. I found the essays examining internet culture the strongest and most engaging. I find most critiques of social media tend to slip into boomer nostalgia that fail to recognise the benefits/connections the internet has created, particularly for marginalised communities. That being said, the internet is the worst and the way she examines how something that was once so liberating and fun has become dreary, corporatised and performative will leave you thinking. Her reflections on capitalism are also good, particularly the simple (but apt) observation that modern capitalism has put us all in the position where it is impossible to life a moral life. I did the audiobook and can recommend, she has a great voice.
purplepierogi's review against another edition
I really liked it! I think if I had read this in 2019, I would have been obsessed with it. now, everything touched does seem very familiar (on a couple things, to the point of fatigue) but in the reflections on personal life, it was so compelling. as with most essay collections, the milage varies with each piece, but would recommend.
a2lulu's review against another edition
3.0
5 stars for the best essays: Ecstacy, We Come From Old Virginia; both were worth the price of entry. The rest were uneven, but I seem to be in the minority with that opinion. Themes of collective delusions, monetization of the self, the awfulness of the internet, sexism and misogyny are interwoven with her personal narratives. I just don't know that she expands a lot on some of the topics. But there are definitely some great moments of piercing insight.
I like her essays best when she’s writing about her own experience and integrating that with a cultural analysis vs. when she’s synthesizing other topics that already have well-worn paths.
Part of my disappointment comes from high expectations - seeing rave reviews, and knowing she’s a staff writer at the New Yorker. I went in wanting this to be as amazing as: The Argonauts, Thick: And Other Essays, The Devil Finds Work, parts of Men Explain Things to Me, Jenny Odell's writing (who Tolentino mentions a few times). Edit: or Aubrey Gordon…
I like her essays best when she’s writing about her own experience and integrating that with a cultural analysis vs. when she’s synthesizing other topics that already have well-worn paths.
Part of my disappointment comes from high expectations - seeing rave reviews, and knowing she’s a staff writer at the New Yorker. I went in wanting this to be as amazing as: The Argonauts, Thick: And Other Essays, The Devil Finds Work, parts of Men Explain Things to Me, Jenny Odell's writing (who Tolentino mentions a few times). Edit: or Aubrey Gordon…