cat's Reviews > Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business

I pre-ordered and received this book in the fall of 2023 and it went into my giant TBR pile and only just yesterday got picked up. And then not put down again until it was fully read - and thoroughly enjoyed. I realized as I read that because I am a huge Roxane Gay fan from her earliest days, that I had already read most of the essays gathered here. That did not make it one bit less joyful for me, rather I loved reading them in chronological order - essentially bingeing an entire season of a show rather than having to wait a week for the next episode to be released. The book has a new preface, and even those few new pages of her wisdom and voice made me so grateful again to be living in the world at the same time as Roxane Gay.

“Every day, I try to make the best decisions possible about what I create, what I consume, and who I collaborate with - but living in the world, participating in capitalism, requires moral compromise. I am not looking for purity; it doesn't exist. Instead, I'm trying to do the best I can, and take a stand when I think I can have an impact.”

“Understanding when to speak on an issue and when to listen and learn is an invaluable skill I continue to hone. At times, people treat me like an opinion vending machine, asking me what I think about their favorite television show or a politician running for office or a recent calamity, as if opinion writing is merely emotional utterance rather than a practice that requires care and consideration.”