I don't read a lot of essay collections because (a) I'm used the narrative cohesion of fiction and (b) sometimes my reaction to opinion-laden non-fiction is to bristle against someone I don't know telling me what to think. However, Roxane Gay won me over because Roxane Gay is rad. I followed her on Twitter because I wanted more of her presence, even one-sided, in my life. 
 Part of what made this collection work is Gay's voice. It's personal and breezy and alternately funny and heavy. I laughed out loud during the piece on competitive Scrabble. I got angry during the piece on how rape and sexual violence are discussed in real life and used in fiction. I even squealed a little when she mentioned Edith Wharton. 
 The other part is her focus on popular culture. It's very much what I'm interested in, especially when it relates to HOW writers write and what we should take into consideration when we do it. All in all, I'm still mulling over a good portion of this book, and I'm excited to talk about it with my book club. Some standout essays, for me, were: "How to Be Friends with Another Woman," "Not Here to Make Friends," and "The Careless Language of Sexual Violence."