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moth_dance's review against another edition
5.0
I'm late to this one, but I'm surprised this book or any of its containing essays on teaching, living, loving; pop culture, movies, books; race, gender, and, duh, feminism wasn't assigned in any of the dozens of courses in my decade in academia. Read "Bad Feminist" for all the life lessons and so much more. It's elegant. It's clever. It's honest. Roxane Gay offers so much to explore in each essay, and offers us her soul in most instances. Any one of her essays, and the entire book really, should be assigned reading in high school and colleges and beyond. Just go read it. Now. And reread it later, too.
libvin96's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, wow, wow this book was amazing. The cultural phenomena Gay comments on took me back to the newsreels I witnessed throughout high school - the outrage over "Blurred Lines", Amy Winehouse's death, Fifty Shades booming in popularity, the Boston Marathon bombing, the 2011 terrorist attack on Norway, the murder of Trayvon Martin, the ubiquitousness of the word "feminist" and who was a good one versus a bad one, etc. - and addresses them sharply, tactfully, and illustriously. It was really interesting in summer 2019 to read these essays that were published as this book back in 2014, before Trump's campaign, before even more mass shootings / terrorist attacks and instances of police brutality, before more instances of racism, sexism, and the justice system failing survivors of sexual assault came into being - and to try and imagine how Gay's words would apply to today. I loved how direct and sincere the author was throughout. I encourage everyone to read this one.
katieinca's review against another edition
5.0
This is a hell of a book and you should read it. It won't always be easy, but it'll be worth it. She doesn't offer any easy answers, but she spends a lot of time with interesting questions.
You will laugh about Scrabble, and maybe about Sweet Valley High. Probably there will be times when you'll need to put it down for a day or two to digest or to breathe. You may want to call her up and argue with her a little.
Gay would scare the crap out of me as a teacher, and I bet she's an amazing one. She'd let you know when she thought you were capable of better, and you'd believe her and not want to disappoint her. And she *would* be hard on you, because she's critical of everyone, including herself. But generally in very compassionate way.
You will laugh about Scrabble, and maybe about Sweet Valley High. Probably there will be times when you'll need to put it down for a day or two to digest or to breathe. You may want to call her up and argue with her a little.
Gay would scare the crap out of me as a teacher, and I bet she's an amazing one. She'd let you know when she thought you were capable of better, and you'd believe her and not want to disappoint her. And she *would* be hard on you, because she's critical of everyone, including herself. But generally in very compassionate way.
ellawright9's review against another edition
3.0
This book was okay. I had heard such great things but it didn’t live up to my expectations. A lot of the essays I found to be uninteresting, and some I found it difficult to find how they were related to feminism at all. I agree with so many of the sentiments that Gay shares in the first and last chapters of the book, but other than that, I can’t say that I loved it. I think this is a good introductory text for anyone who wants to know more about feminism (especially intersectional feminism) but I didn’t find it to be groundbreaking.
mllesophie's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
This book made me think about how I act is maybe not the best option, but the easier way is not necessarily a bad thing.
andriawrites's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best books I read in 2014. This should be required reading for EVERYONE. What I found most appealing is that Gay does not attempt to give a one-dimensional definition of what feminism is or what it should be. Through her essays, her words and her flare with language, Gay shows us that feminism is multi-faceted, complex and organic. I absolutely adored reading these essays, touching on everything from gender politics, to race to sex. This book made me completely jealous of those fortunate enough to be her students at the university where she teaches. I would jump at the chance at seeing her doing a talk or a lecture of some kind. Most importantly, this collection of essay perfectly responds to a lot of societal ills that permeate our contemporary culture.