Description
Book SynopsisEdited and with an introduction by Roxane Gay, the New York Times bestselling and deeply beloved author of Bad Feminist and Hunger, this anthology of first-person essays tackles rape, assault, and harassment head-on.
Vogue, 10 of the Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2018
Harper's Bazaar, 10 New Books to Add to Your Reading List in 2018
Elle, 21 Books We're Most Excited to Read in 2018
Boston Globe, 25 books we can't wait to read in 2018
Huffington Post, 60 Books We Can't Wait to Read in 2018
Buzzfeed, 33 Most Exciting New Books of 2018
In this valuable and timely anthology, cultural critic and bestselling author Roxane Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence and aggression they face, and where sexual-abuse survivors are 'routinely second-guessed, blown off, discredited, denigrated, besmirched, belittled, patronized, mocked, shamed, gaslit, insulted, bullied' for speaking out.
Highlighting the stories of well-known actors, writers and experts, as well as new voices being published for the first time, Not That Bad covers a wide range of topics and experiences, from an exploration of the rape epidemic embedded in the refugee crisis to first-person accounts of child molestation and street harrassment.
Often deeply personal and always unflinchingly honest, this provocative collection both reflects the world we live in and offers a call to arms insisting that 'not that bad' must no longer be good enough.
Trade Reviewan important book...observationally sharp, the writing often as vivid as bruises...the voices here are clear and compelling and crushing. * Observer *
The diversity is striking - not only of perspectives, but approach, too. This is a book of testimonies, indignations, reproaches, meditations, written with poignancy and skill. * TLS *
Gay's introduction moved me to tears, as did many of the pieces contributed by household names-Gabrielle Union, Ally Sheedy-but accounts from "regular" women moved me even more. Perhaps that's the lesson we're meant to take away from
Not that Bad: we're all "regular." Shocking as they are, many of these stories will be familiar to us all-and we all deserve better * Glamour *
The lauded social critic and provocateur curates a diverse and unvarnished collection of personal essays reckoning with the experiences and systemic dysfunction that produced #MeToo. * O: The Oprah Magazine *
an unflinching look at the world and the way in which women are treated...In this potent book, these are the stories that need to be heard; these are the stories that will make change happen. * Emerald Street *
Full of spectacular writing from both established and emerging voices. * Elle *
Perhaps unsurprisingly,
Not That Bad is not an easy read: it is emotional, it is troubling, but it is also absolutely essential. * The F Word *
Table of Contents0: Introduction - Roxane Gay 1: Fragments - Aubrey Hirsch 2: Slaughterhouse Island - Jill Christman 3: & the Truth Is, I Have No Story - Claire Schwartz 4: The Luckiest MILF in Brooklyn - Lynn Melnick 5: Spectator: My Family, My Rapist, and Mourning Online - Brandon Taylor 6: The Sun - Emma Smith-Stevens 7: Sixty-Three Days - AJ McKenna 8: Only the Lonely - Lisa Mecham 9: What I Told Myself - Vanessa Mártir 10: Stasis - Ally Sheedy 11: The Ways We Are Taught to Be a Girl - xTx 12: Floccinaucinihilipilification - So Mayer 13: The Life Ruiner - Nora Salem 14: All the Angry Women - Lyz Lenz 15: Good Girls - Amy Jo Burns 16: Utmost Resistance: Law and the Queer Woman or How I Sat in a Classroom and Listened to My Male 16 (cont.): Classmates Debate How to Define Force and Consent - V. L. Seek 17: Bodies Against Borders - Michelle Chen 18: Wiping the Stain Clean - Gabrielle Union 19: What We Didn't Say - Liz Rosema 20: I Said Yes - Anthony Frame 21: Knowing Better - Samhita Mukhopadhyay 22: Not That Loud: Quiet Encounters with Rape Culture Miriam - Zoila Pérez 23: Why I Stopped - Zoë Medeiros 24: Picture Perfect - Sharisse Tracey 25: To Get Out from Under It - Stacey May Fowles 26: Reaping What Rape Culture Sows: Live from the Killing Fields of Growing Up Female in America - 26 (cont.): Elisabeth Fairfield Stokes 27: Invisible Light Waves - Meredith Talusan 28: Getting Home - Nicole Boyce 29: Why I Didn't Say No - Elissa Bassist I: Contributors II: Acknowledgments
