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4.61 AVERAGE
4.61 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
emotional
hopeful
reflective
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A contemplative series that has me rethinking how punk and Carly Rae Jepsen showed up in my own Midwest life and black girl identity.
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
An astonishing book. It presents itself as a collection of music essays, ranging across the spectrum to cover various artists I already love (Prince, Nina Simone, Bruce Springsteen, Carly Rae Jepsen) and diving deep into Willis-Abdurraqib’s history with and love for mid-aughts emo bands (My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, The Wonder Years, Cute Is What We Aim For, Defiance, Ohio), many of whom I was completely unfamiliar with. But, especially as the book hits its second half, it becomes more and more a series of (often simultaneously) autobiographical and political reflections - sometimes through the prism of music, sometimes not - that are deeply affecting, and some of the best writing that I've read all year.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Hanif Abdurraqib's writing is amazing! I had read his Carly Rae Jepsen essay before, so I had high expectations for his work and this book definitely met them. I love how observant he is, and how he always has the most specific and accurate words to convey what he's writing about. He also brings a level of fairness and nuance to his subject matter (especially when he's writing about people — famous people or people he knows). He's so good at humanizing his subjects and writing from a reflective perspective rather than a judgmental one. As someone quick to judge, I found his slow-drawn analysis of people and situations more intelligent and worth emulating. He gave credit in situations where I didn't even know credit was warranted. The most obvious examples of this are his essays about The Weekend and Future, who (imo) are two artists who get caricatured a lot in pop culture. Somehow, Hanif fleshes out the humanness in their work and manages to analyze their work from an angle that you might not have considered before.
Some of the sections in the middle were a bit confusing in structure but the beginning and end were very strongly written. I loved his choice of subjects and the angles he used to write about them. His weaving of the personal, the political and the musical was so expertly done! I was really in awe. It's not just that he writes well, but that he writes from perspectives that are really interesting to think about. AKA: He has such an interesting way to think about people.
My favorite essays were the ones about Carly Rae Jepsen, Bruce Springsteen, The Weeknd, Allen Iverson, Nina Simone, Future, the white rappers one, and the last one (Surviving on Small Joys). This book isn't exactly a memoir but I like that it offers glimpses into the author's life in a very personal and poignant way, even while discussing world issues at large. One of the questions the book grapples with is how to talk about the way systemic issues manifest on an invidual level and I think the author's personal anecdotes really helped achieve that. A really thoughtful, enjoyable read. Loved his insights.
Some of the sections in the middle were a bit confusing in structure but the beginning and end were very strongly written. I loved his choice of subjects and the angles he used to write about them. His weaving of the personal, the political and the musical was so expertly done! I was really in awe. It's not just that he writes well, but that he writes from perspectives that are really interesting to think about. AKA: He has such an interesting way to think about people.
My favorite essays were the ones about Carly Rae Jepsen, Bruce Springsteen, The Weeknd, Allen Iverson, Nina Simone, Future, the white rappers one, and the last one (Surviving on Small Joys). This book isn't exactly a memoir but I like that it offers glimpses into the author's life in a very personal and poignant way, even while discussing world issues at large. One of the questions the book grapples with is how to talk about the way systemic issues manifest on an invidual level and I think the author's personal anecdotes really helped achieve that. A really thoughtful, enjoyable read. Loved his insights.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
