Some people like novels. Some people like biographies. But have you ever considered reading a book of essays? I know, I know – it sounds like homework. But I like to think of essays as the short stories of nonfiction. I realized recently that I love reading long, in-depth opinions and articles on the internet, but so often they are behind paywalls and hard to get access to. Instead, I can go to the library and check out a whole book of that genre to read at my leisure. The other nice thing? If you’re just not into a certain essay, just skip it! Maybe the next one will be more your style. Here are some books of essays that I’ve personally enjoyed:
Bad Feminist: Essays by Roxane Gay (2014), 320 pages
This was one of the first books of essays I remember reading. I love Gay’s essays on the difficulties of being a “good” feminist as well as her essay about competitive Scrabble.
Shrill: Notes From a Loud Woman by Lindy West (2016), 260 pages [Overdrive/Libby ebook] [Overdrive/Libby eAudiobook]
This was made into a Netflix show more recently, but when I read it I just loved West’s take on many subjects, especially being a woman on the internet and being a comedy fan dealing with misogynistic comedy.
Trick mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion by Jia Tolentino (2019), 303 pages
I’m reading this one right now, and so far I’ve loved reading about Tolentino’s time as a teen reality TV star and musings on depictions of girls and women in literature.
Happy reading!
Teresa Moulton, Public Service Leader
