New York Times Bestseller
A collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation, Roxane Gay.
“Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it … accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.”
In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture.
Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.
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If I could have everyone read one book it would be Bad Feminist. But Oscar & Lucinda is a close second!
Roxane Gay is brilliant and heartbreaking and funny, and expresses so many of my feelings about pop culture and feminism perfectly.
Oscar and Lucinda is also brilliant and heartbreaking and funny, about an Anglican priest and a glass factory …
I’ve been wanting to read this book for a long time and so glad I did. Roxanne Gay brings wit and heart to all of these essays and really made me think in a new way. Cannot wait to read the rest of her work.
I taught this book a few semesters ago, and quite a few of my students said this book made them feel less guilty about embracing things that, at first glance, might label them a “bad feminist.” I had to agree that it empowered me in the same way. Roxane Gay openly and honestly shares some of her “bad feminist” ways and ironically, so many of us …
It pains me that the word feminist has become a bad word. That some women shrug off, take for granted or mock in distain the advances generations before them fought for, tooth and nail. I get that being a feminist is hard work and wearying and I, too, have struggled with feminism but … like Roxane Gay says: “I would rather be a bad feminist than …
This was just a really great read. It kept coming up as a feminist must-read so I finally picked it up and I’m so glad I did.
The author covers so much ground in this book – from scrabble, the hunger games, and reality TV to respectability politics, trigger warnings, and rape. Every essay was succinct, interesting, and artfully composed. Roxane …
This book was a great introduction for me into “every day” Black feminist thought. One of the things I seek to do with my own work is to take feminism from just a word that many people only vaguely associate with a specific movement into a glimpse of a free Black woman’s lived experiences. Bad Feminist does a great job showing what it looks like …
Fantastic.
I’m one of the many I know who value feminism but always feel like we’re not doing enough. This collection gives us grace—and a lot of food for thought.
couldn’t finish it.
Ms. Gay likes to revel in her victimhood and she revels as such in nearly every entry of this book of essays. She checks every box of perceived oppression, woman, black, obese, immigrant, etc., while she whines about her experience of the world. These are less essays than personal diatribes about slights received and perceived. She describes …
Amazing! Thought provoking! Perfection!