Although she’d been a cultural critic for years it wasn’t until her essays were collected in one volume that Roxane Gay became America’s must-read writer. Bad Feminist hit bookstore shelves like a rolling tank, except this piece of machinery will crush you with heart, humor, and insight. Suddenly she’s everywhere, and thankfully so.
Here are five reasons to read her now.
1) There’s a pink version coming out in October and while it’s cheaper, and Harper Perennial only runs those editions for a year or so, you don’t want to wait and look like a poser because you don’t have the original cover.
2) You’re not black (or a feminist, or a child of immigrants, or queer*) and you want a peek at why marginalized folks find some of your favorite things problematic.
3) You are black (or a feminist, or a child of immigrants, or queer*) and you want to hear from someone who gets you.
4) Learning new things is great as long it doesn’t feel like work. Like it’s, say, the best conversation you’ve ever had with your cool neighbor.
5) Sometimes you just want to say “fuck it” and geek out over Sweet Valley High, Scrabble, or The Hunger Games.
*Gay’s choice to describe her complicated sexuality as simply as possible