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A review by seebrandyread
White Girls by Hilton Als
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
4.75
White Girls is one of those books that will make you feel both smart and dumb. On its surface, Als's collection seems straightforward--a book of essays held together by a loose theme. At times it is--cultural criticism of some of the last half century's most controversial celebrities, exploration of race, gender, sexuality. But whether he's looking at a performer from an unexpected angle or giving a performance himself (spoiler: he basically always is), Als's work defies categorization or really any kind of systematic, non-fluid analysis.
The title is deceptively simple. Several essays take a direct approach to actual white women like Flannery O'Connor, Louise Brooks, Vivien Leigh. Others look at men via their relationship to white women: Eminem as a product (man and artist) of his mother, Malcolm X whose mother looked white, Als himself and his friendship with a white woman. He turns a critical and compassionate eye on Truman Capote and Michael Jackson's white femininity. He constantly questions whiteness and femininity, our and his desire for and rejection of them.
Most of the essays average ~15 pages, but 2 are much longer. The very first essay is the longest which I think is ultimately a smart choice as it sets up the rest of the book by providing background on Als, introducing the reader to his style that teeters between fiction and nonfiction, high and low. It also defines his terms of "white" and "girls" as much as they will allow definition, terms of identity and currency. We get an idea of how they've been used in his own life and how that informs his use of them in the rest of the book.
Two essays are written in the POV of women, one of the real Louise Brooks, a white woman best known for embodying the flapper style. The other in the 2nd longest essay as Richard Pryor's fictional sister. I didn't love these essays because the POV felt a bit gimmicky and made it harder to ground myself, especially since I didn't know if Pryor had a sister or not. However, they both help illustrate the constructedness of gender and highlight common ground as much as difference between gender and race while playing with the equally blurry lines of genre.
Als's writing showcases the work of a person who both knows who they are and is still figuring it out. Some of these essays were written decades ago but are still relevant for their content and their position in a constantly changing culture. I only wish there were more essays because I want to know his take on the newest zeitgeist, though that might be a little too mainstream.
The title is deceptively simple. Several essays take a direct approach to actual white women like Flannery O'Connor, Louise Brooks, Vivien Leigh. Others look at men via their relationship to white women: Eminem as a product (man and artist) of his mother, Malcolm X whose mother looked white, Als himself and his friendship with a white woman. He turns a critical and compassionate eye on Truman Capote and Michael Jackson's white femininity. He constantly questions whiteness and femininity, our and his desire for and rejection of them.
Most of the essays average ~15 pages, but 2 are much longer. The very first essay is the longest which I think is ultimately a smart choice as it sets up the rest of the book by providing background on Als, introducing the reader to his style that teeters between fiction and nonfiction, high and low. It also defines his terms of "white" and "girls" as much as they will allow definition, terms of identity and currency. We get an idea of how they've been used in his own life and how that informs his use of them in the rest of the book.
Two essays are written in the POV of women, one of the real Louise Brooks, a white woman best known for embodying the flapper style. The other in the 2nd longest essay as Richard Pryor's fictional sister. I didn't love these essays because the POV felt a bit gimmicky and made it harder to ground myself, especially since I didn't know if Pryor had a sister or not. However, they both help illustrate the constructedness of gender and highlight common ground as much as difference between gender and race while playing with the equally blurry lines of genre.
Als's writing showcases the work of a person who both knows who they are and is still figuring it out. Some of these essays were written decades ago but are still relevant for their content and their position in a constantly changing culture. I only wish there were more essays because I want to know his take on the newest zeitgeist, though that might be a little too mainstream.