angelinaedith2307 's review for:

The Opposite of Loneliness: Essays and Stories by Marina Keegan

5.0

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What a gem of a book. I slowly devoured Marina Keegan's stories and nonfiction over the past month since reading about it in The Daily Pennsylvanian, the undergraduate newspaper at my school, as well as in archived versions of Meghan Markle's lifestyle blog The Tig. I'm not sure why I came across it now - the book was published in 2014 and definitely reads like an older millennials' work. Keegan graduated from Yale University in 2012 and was becoming a writer with a New Yorker contract when she died in a random car accident 5 days after graduation. It's such a heartbreaking story. Her parents, friends, and writing teachers assembled her finished pieces in this book. And the writing is beautiful - young, and beautiful, and imaginative, and just so so inspired. Somewhat uncannily, Marina thinks about mortality a lot, and the impact we can have in the time that we are on Earth. As someone who teaches undergraduates, this books really tugged at my heartstrings. "Even Artichokes Have Doubts" about statistical changes (I so wish she accounted more for people's backgrounds and how that makes up part of the puzzle) in what people want to do after college from first year to graduation and why this narrowing in career interests happens is absolute required reading for anyone who's ever had the good fortune to encounter education and choice. Will be recommending this book to everyone I know. Thanks Marina, for being here!