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4.61 AVERAGE
4.61 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
This collection of essays is structured really well, and flows from one to another in a way that kept me engaged. Drawing parallels between personal events and those of the musicians and athletes written about works as an entry point to making the personal more universal. Maybe I’m biased, because I’m in my 30s and grew up in the suburbs going to shows at local venues where I grew up, but the essays about those subcultures really resonated with me. The fall out boy one is gonna stick with me for a while.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
the bits i enjoyed were good but it just seemed a bit repetitive after a while
emotional
informative
reflective
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
My rating is not on the quality of the book but rather about my experience reading it, as a lot of it was over my head or with musical artists I’m not familiar with. Still beautifully written.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
I bought this book at a lovely bookstore on a road trip and finished a third of it as we were driving back home. Hanif Abdurraqib's writing is the right kind of poetic, where the language feels so tangible and emotive. He has a deep intelligence and ability to communicate grief. And it's all perfectly framed in this essay collection exploring music and culture in the late 2010's. All with an undercurrent about what it's like to grow up in a ghost town; the resilience, the struggle, and the survival.
This book immediately made me a fan. I'm thankful for this work that feels so patient and curious about grief. I return to "Brief Notes on Staying" often. And the essay on Marvin Gaye that begins every section is just an electric use of formatting that had my literary jaw dropped when it all came together. I love a good literary essay collection and Abdurraqib raised the bar to a poetic, contemporary high.
I highly recommend this for:
- Music fans
- Literary Essay fans
- Cultural critics
- Poetry fans
- People who like rap, punk, rock, and the 2010's music scene.
- Frankly everyone, everybody should read this.
This book immediately made me a fan. I'm thankful for this work that feels so patient and curious about grief. I return to "Brief Notes on Staying" often. And the essay on Marvin Gaye that begins every section is just an electric use of formatting that had my literary jaw dropped when it all came together. I love a good literary essay collection and Abdurraqib raised the bar to a poetic, contemporary high.
I highly recommend this for:
- Music fans
- Literary Essay fans
- Cultural critics
- Poetry fans
- People who like rap, punk, rock, and the 2010's music scene.
- Frankly everyone, everybody should read this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Violence, Death of parent
challenging
emotional
tense
medium-paced