Scan barcode
amyvl93's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Essay collections are a tricky beast - as with any collection of writing there will be some that resonate, and some that hit a little less closer to home.
Jia Tolentino is a super talented writer, whose work I've read numerous times over the years, and I was excited to finally become the last millennial on earth to pick up this book. Trick Mirror has essays that cover reality TV, scamming, thoughts on weddings and broader internet culture.
Strangely enough as someone who loves a bit of pop culture criticism, Tolentino's essays on pop culture were less engaging for me, perhaps as this collection is a few years old, many of her thoughts have been reflected, shared and adapted elsewhere.
The two essays that were highlights for me were 'Ecstasy' - about Tolentino's relationship with religion and drug use and in particular, 'We Come from Old Virginia' - an essay that looks at the aftermath of the infamous Rolling Stone article about the young woman who claimed she was gang raped, a story that was later found to be false, but Tolentino's sensitive telling of a culture of covering up and/or acceptance of sexual harassment and assault is excellent. It is probably worth reading the collection for those two essays alone - and for the very honest & cringey reflections on Tolentino's brief moment of teenage reality TV stardom.
Jia Tolentino is a super talented writer, whose work I've read numerous times over the years, and I was excited to finally become the last millennial on earth to pick up this book. Trick Mirror has essays that cover reality TV, scamming, thoughts on weddings and broader internet culture.
Strangely enough as someone who loves a bit of pop culture criticism, Tolentino's essays on pop culture were less engaging for me, perhaps as this collection is a few years old, many of her thoughts have been reflected, shared and adapted elsewhere.
The two essays that were highlights for me were 'Ecstasy' - about Tolentino's relationship with religion and drug use and in particular, 'We Come from Old Virginia' - an essay that looks at the aftermath of the infamous Rolling Stone article about the young woman who claimed she was gang raped, a story that was later found to be false, but Tolentino's sensitive telling of a culture of covering up and/or acceptance of sexual harassment and assault is excellent. It is probably worth reading the collection for those two essays alone - and for the very honest & cringey reflections on Tolentino's brief moment of teenage reality TV stardom.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, and Xenophobia
gellyreads's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Ableism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Addiction, Rape, and Sexism
bencaroline's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Bullying, and Drug use
Moderate: Sexual violence, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Mental illness, Religious bigotry, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Abortion, Addiction, Confinement, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Suicide, Xenophobia, Vomit, and Racism
More...