Title: Bad Feminist
Author: Roxanne Gay
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Publication Date: August 2014
ISBN: 9780062282712
Synopsis from Goodreads:
In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman of color while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years and commenting on the state of feminism today. The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture.
Bad Feminist was a surprisingly funny and entertaining read. Gay’s voice is extremely readable and engaging, and she keeps her essays short and sharp-witted. She raises great points, begins strong arguments, and keeps her reader entertained form start to finish. However, I struggled quite a bit because I don’t believe her arguments are fully formed, and it takes away from the potential for strength that each essay has. Gay wants to talk about so many tough and controversial topics. I believe she has a lot to say and I believe she has some extremely valid points. I hate to see a great discussion weakened because not enough time was given for development. Gay includes quite a few reviews in this book–many, if not all, being previously published in various media sources. In the vast majority of cases, these reviews could have been completely eliminated. I have to say, I’m glad I borrowed this book from a friend, because I would have hated to pay for a novel with contents that I could have read online for free on any review site. I hate to give a bad review, but I had high hopes for this collection, and I was left feeling very unsatisfied.
Worn Pages and Ink 