Member Reviews

A collection of essays by a variety of writers detailing their experiences of sexual assault and how they have dealt with that trauma.

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Powerful. Raw. Stunning writing. Pretty much everything I would expect from a collection put together by Roxane Gay.

"What is it like to live in a culture where it often seems like it is a question of when, not if, a woman will encounter some kind of sexual violence? "

This is book about rape and rape culture. Some of the stories are empowering, some are depressing, but all talk about important aspects of the world we live in. Many of the writers explore how rape culture is not just about the act of rape itself, but also found in daily microaggressions, such as misogynistic jokes, "friendly" pats on the butt, and a guy suggesting a woman shouldn't take her pill in public because she is making a statement to men that they can do what they want to her without consequences.

The essays often play around with style, writing in everything from lists to graphic novel format, which I liked.

Many of the writers, I noticed, have a very similar writing style to Roxane Gay. So if, like me, you enjoyed the darkly gorgeous writing in Hunger and Difficult Women, then you should like it here in this book. Audrey Hirst's piece was a particular favourite of mine from this collection.

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