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4.61 AVERAGE
4.61 AVERAGE
I think about at least one of these essays once a week.
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Just lovely. Nobody is doing culture writing like Hanif Abdurraqib. He speaks to the soul of music lovers everywhere, but is especially unique because of how his experience mirrors that of the younger millennial/older gen z group who grew up half online then transitioned to fully online, experiencing the era of emo and the commercialization of rap and the cultural shifts that reflected the genres.
I'm still convinced Abdurraqib will be remembered as one of our generation's greatest writers. He has a great skill in being able to view events as a whole and pinpoint specific emotions, and is able to weave together emotional reflection with cultural commentary, providing an experience unique to his own worldview but still relatable enough that any reader can find a bit of themselves. He provides an intimate look into things that are often not talked about, the uncomfortable emotions and difficult memories that try to stay buried. And, as reflected by his additional notes provided in the audio version, he is able to revisit the same thoughts and deepen them further as things change.
His writing is obviously poetic and beautiful, but he is able to toe the line between making grand metaphorical observations without coming across as pretentious or inaccessible. He makes his writing relatable, and is able to verbalize very human experiences that many of us struggle to face and put into words.
This one for me was marginally less enjoyable than A Little Devil in America, because it was a bit more disjointed. It certainly had ties throughout, and still felt tight enough to not be distracting or overwritten, but I enjoyed some essays more than others because of it. I also felt like it didn't have the interactive feeling that really made A Little Devil in America shine for me. Of course, this is Abdurraqib's first essay collection and I read them chronologically out of order, so it's to be expected.
I'm still convinced Abdurraqib will be remembered as one of our generation's greatest writers. He has a great skill in being able to view events as a whole and pinpoint specific emotions, and is able to weave together emotional reflection with cultural commentary, providing an experience unique to his own worldview but still relatable enough that any reader can find a bit of themselves. He provides an intimate look into things that are often not talked about, the uncomfortable emotions and difficult memories that try to stay buried. And, as reflected by his additional notes provided in the audio version, he is able to revisit the same thoughts and deepen them further as things change.
His writing is obviously poetic and beautiful, but he is able to toe the line between making grand metaphorical observations without coming across as pretentious or inaccessible. He makes his writing relatable, and is able to verbalize very human experiences that many of us struggle to face and put into words.
This one for me was marginally less enjoyable than A Little Devil in America, because it was a bit more disjointed. It certainly had ties throughout, and still felt tight enough to not be distracting or overwritten, but I enjoyed some essays more than others because of it. I also felt like it didn't have the interactive feeling that really made A Little Devil in America shine for me. Of course, this is Abdurraqib's first essay collection and I read them chronologically out of order, so it's to be expected.
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Thanks very much to Two Dollar Radio for the ARC.
Hanif Abdurraqib's essays are observant, intelligent, and far-reaching; he faces the interiority of a breakup through the Weeknd, considers immortality and control of the elements through Prince, and experiences the moment when shame falls to dust through Carly Rae Jepsen. This collection has a distinct political awareness; these essays, even when considering shows and albums of decades past, are written for this moment, reacting to and engaging with our most recent presidential election cycle.
Within this collection the music show becomes a study for human behavior. The feel of a venue, the performance of an artist, and the concertgoers' interactions with their neighbors are all lenses through which to understand both culture and personal experience. Music is community-making; Abdurraqib considers connections and divisions amongst people, and particularly the ways in which an anti-black society constantly puts the bodies and mental health of black Americans in jeopardy. Music can save lives within this society, but can also alienate further.
Some of these essays are poems; some are imbued with the precise feeling of when a few strands of a familiar song bring a dead friend back to life. The urgency of this book calls upon us all to consider the act of looking at another person and seeing them, of loving them openly, of allowing ourselves the freedom to be beholden to others. Let's just say: Only Hanif Abdurraqib could have me listening to Carly Rae Jepsen while reading.
Hanif Abdurraqib's essays are observant, intelligent, and far-reaching; he faces the interiority of a breakup through the Weeknd, considers immortality and control of the elements through Prince, and experiences the moment when shame falls to dust through Carly Rae Jepsen. This collection has a distinct political awareness; these essays, even when considering shows and albums of decades past, are written for this moment, reacting to and engaging with our most recent presidential election cycle.
Within this collection the music show becomes a study for human behavior. The feel of a venue, the performance of an artist, and the concertgoers' interactions with their neighbors are all lenses through which to understand both culture and personal experience. Music is community-making; Abdurraqib considers connections and divisions amongst people, and particularly the ways in which an anti-black society constantly puts the bodies and mental health of black Americans in jeopardy. Music can save lives within this society, but can also alienate further.
Some of these essays are poems; some are imbued with the precise feeling of when a few strands of a familiar song bring a dead friend back to life. The urgency of this book calls upon us all to consider the act of looking at another person and seeing them, of loving them openly, of allowing ourselves the freedom to be beholden to others. Let's just say: Only Hanif Abdurraqib could have me listening to Carly Rae Jepsen while reading.
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
incredible from start to finish