Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture
New York Times Bestseller
Edited and with an introduction by Roxane Gay, the New York Times bestselling and deeply beloved author of Bad Feminist and Hunger, this anthology of first-person essays from writers including Gabrielle Union, Brandon Taylor, and Lyz Lenz tackles rape, assault, and harassment head-on.
In this valuable and revealing anthology, cultural critic and bestselling author Roxane Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face, and where they are "routinely second-guessed, blown off, discredited, denigrated, besmirched, belittled, patronized, mocked, shamed, gaslit, insulted, bullied" for speaking out. Contributions include essays from established and up-and-coming writers, performers, and critics, including actors Ally Sheedy and Gabrielle Union and writers Amy Jo Burns, Booker Prize-nominated Brandon Taylor, and Lyz Lenz.
Covering a wide range of topics and experiences, from an exploration of the rape epidemic embedded in the refugee crisis to first-person accounts of child molestation, this collection is often deeply personal and is always unflinchingly honest. Like Rebecca Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me, Not That Bad will resonate with every reader, saying "something in totality that we cannot say alone."
Searing and heartbreakingly candid, this provocative collection both reflects the world we live in and offers a call to arms insisting that "not that bad" must no longer be good enough.
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Community Reviews
This book was primarily a series of essays about rape culture, some from people who were literally raped, others from people who had to deal with rape culture in some way. Although the essays varied in quality, overall, I really liked the different perspectives and different stories that we get in this anthology, especially since there are millions of other stories that we don't get to hear. This is only a small sample of them, and it really highlights the fact that something about this aspect of our culture needs to undergo a drastic revolution.
There were quite a few stories that I enjoyed, but I think the last one was one of the ones I liked the most. It was beautiful and well-written, and it told a story while also using repetition within the prose, which I particularly enjoy using and reading (when it's done well). In general, I also really like Roxanne Gay's work, and I wish she'd included a piece of her own writing in this as well instead of just curating the book.
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about feminism, rape culture, and the endemic within our culture from the points of view of those who have to deal with it every day.
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