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caseyaonso's review
2.0
Wish i had read the reviews before buying this because I’m definitely echoing the popular opinion that this book felt mismarketed. I went into this expecting it to be a retrospective on different cultural moments & eras branded as “tacky” with more of a.. collective voice? Instead this (to me) read like a memoir that used types of tacky as jumping off points for the author to reflect on her adolescence, sexuality and relationships with the people in her life. Nostalgia + the “tacky” are the initiators, not the meat of this book. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong about that, i think the concept is smart but the branding really sets you up for something else imo and this just didn’t have what i was hoping to get out of it.
(And i’ll admit i found the “let people enjoy things!” grandstanding a little vapid considering that for a book continuously bringing up the perception of tackiness in relation to how the author was chided for “low art” things she enjoyed, it was done in opposition to a black & white camp that personally i just dont think exists irl lol… like even
the most ironypilled people have a soft spot for something that someone out there finds tacky as well- it’s just different from what you’ve been side eyed for. was pretty surprised to not see that angle brought up in this at all.)
(And i’ll admit i found the “let people enjoy things!” grandstanding a little vapid considering that for a book continuously bringing up the perception of tackiness in relation to how the author was chided for “low art” things she enjoyed, it was done in opposition to a black & white camp that personally i just dont think exists irl lol… like even
the most ironypilled people have a soft spot for something that someone out there finds tacky as well- it’s just different from what you’ve been side eyed for. was pretty surprised to not see that angle brought up in this at all.)
fmmiller88's review
slow-paced
2.0
** I am about 99 pages in currently and I have thoughts already. While this book of essays seems to promise a dive into 90s culture that many of us are familiar with, it really focuses more on the personal experiences that Rax King ties to these particular 90s nostalgia items. Instead of diving into a lot of nuances about Josie and the Pussycats and why it's still a cult classic, she discusses this guy who watched the movie with her and how they hung out and he started spreading rumors about her. All interesting but not at all what I thought this was going to be like. So far I have read about Top Model, The Warm Vanilla Sugar scent, Hot Topic and although all of them touched on the nostalgia, I was hoping there would be more dealing with the topics themselves but this is more memoir than essay in my opinion.
The part that jars me the most is when she has these sexual exploits and she lays it all bare but then immediately follows it with so much wisdom. "Perhaps the appeal of interpretation is that only through interpretation can a person learn something substantive from an otherwise radically emotional experience...An erotics of art forces us to confront art on lower ground. It forces us to allows art to growl and bare its teeth at us, without allowing us the space to defend ourselves. Worse, it forces us to confront the possibility that this or that artwork that we love so much isn't "actually" "saying" anything." This is so deeply thought out that it feels like a completely different book of essays but in this she is discussing why she likes Josie and the Pussycats. And a lot of the 90s things she enjoyed all stem from an interaction that she created her life around.
**Finished The book. Everything I felt before still stands. The essays are riddled with sexual exploits which is fine. I don't care about what you do but this is not how it was advertised. It was VERY personal essays instead of personal essays/anecdotes that tie in to 90s pop culture. There are moments of transcendence which coincidentally have nothing to do with the 90s nostalgia. This is particularly present in the essay when she discusses her relationship with her ex-husband. She talks about what it was like getting out of an abusive relationship and what that means. She says things like now she can call her father, and how much she allowed him to rule her and it hits because it relates to so many people. But, this is after she discusses being the mistress to multiple people who were married and that just doesn't sit right with me. Overall, pretty polarizing within these few pages. I felt a bit cheated because I wanted essays on nostalgia and instead got a memoir with nostalgia scattered throughout.
The part that jars me the most is when she has these sexual exploits and she lays it all bare but then immediately follows it with so much wisdom. "Perhaps the appeal of interpretation is that only through interpretation can a person learn something substantive from an otherwise radically emotional experience...An erotics of art forces us to confront art on lower ground. It forces us to allows art to growl and bare its teeth at us, without allowing us the space to defend ourselves. Worse, it forces us to confront the possibility that this or that artwork that we love so much isn't "actually" "saying" anything." This is so deeply thought out that it feels like a completely different book of essays but in this she is discussing why she likes Josie and the Pussycats. And a lot of the 90s things she enjoyed all stem from an interaction that she created her life around.
**Finished The book. Everything I felt before still stands. The essays are riddled with sexual exploits which is fine. I don't care about what you do but this is not how it was advertised. It was VERY personal essays instead of personal essays/anecdotes that tie in to 90s pop culture. There are moments of transcendence which coincidentally have nothing to do with the 90s nostalgia. This is particularly present in the essay when she discusses her relationship with her ex-husband. She talks about what it was like getting out of an abusive relationship and what that means. She says things like now she can call her father, and how much she allowed him to rule her and it hits because it relates to so many people. But, this is after she discusses being the mistress to multiple people who were married and that just doesn't sit right with me. Overall, pretty polarizing within these few pages. I felt a bit cheated because I wanted essays on nostalgia and instead got a memoir with nostalgia scattered throughout.
krussek's review
4.0
Rax King has been on my radar for ages because we went to the same small college and have a few mutual acquaintances- which is also why I feel sort of weird engaging with her work. It kind of makes me feel like reading the popular girl’s MySpace page. I feel very fortunate though to be able to watch her development as a writer, and there are essays here where she really shines through. It’s a solid testament to being allowed to feel.
Also, love to see praise of Meat Loaf.
Also, love to see praise of Meat Loaf.
elthompson97's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Some really strong chapters, others that were just personal essays! Just not what I expected - the title is a little misleading
roxymaybe's review
2.0
This started strong but rapidly devolved into a bunch of repetitive stories about shitty men who can't fuck. Okay, and??