There are some problems, but first the good stuff.įeminist book nerds will thrill to her references: Judith Butler, Kate Zambreno, Jessica and Elizabeth Wakefield from Sweet Valley High.

We love her, you know?įor the most part, this new collection of personal essays and criticism doesn't let us down. She has a tumblr and she writes about Internet dating. She's disarming and one of us, only smarter. Her writing is smart and trenchant, but she has something else as well, a hard-to-define quality that makes her readers root for her.

This year, her novel An Untamed State was published to seemingly universal critical acclaim.Īs a culture critic, Gay has X-ray eyes. Roxane Gay's star has been rising recently, and if she's not yet an Important Writer, she's certainly One to Watch.