A review by sirhe
Figure It Out: Essays by Wayne Koestenbaum

challenging informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

2.5

I picked Figure it Out by Wayne Koestenbaum because his other book My 1980's was not available. This is his most recent book, and it has the second highest rating on Goodreads, so I was like why not.

In this book, Koestenbaum reflects on art, literature, life, pop culture, and writing. He also provides prompts for writing, art, and spirituality. I found the essays on writing, translation, celebrities, porn, and smells interesting. I also noted some of the prompts. That is about a quarter of the book, mostly part two. 

The other three parts of the book are too intellectual and inaccessible to most readers. There are also a lot of references to works of literature that are common knowledge to only to Ivy League students.  Maybe in 20 years, this CUNY Graduate might become familiar of the content Koestenbaum ruminates on. 

In short, I don't want to "figure it out". I should have waited to get the other book, which has essays that focus on Andy Warhol, Susan Sontag, and Frank O'Hara. Robert Downey Jr. rolls eyes meme.