WOW, NO THANK YOU by SAMANTHA IRBY

Thank you to Jia Tolentino who tweeted out her love of WOW, NO THANK YOU by Samantha Irby. Given that I loved reading TRICK MIRROR by Tolentino, I promptly bought Irby's book without knowing what was in store within the pages. For me, if the source is credible, I sign onto that source's recommendations, sight unseen.

The tone of WOW, NO THANK YOU is set by the one-sentence dedication on her dedication page, before the TOC, and before the 18 essays about nothing in particular and every little thing in specific. Says Irby:

This book is dedicated to Wellbutrin

Transparency and honesty are things we love to say we love about writers. What I've observed is that authors who claim they are honest and transparent and vulnerable (yada yada yada) are usually hiding something. It's authors like Irby who doesn't say any of that and instead writes about the time she went on a speed dating event with a diaper on and pooped a little in it during the event. It's not just about a little bit of poop, though. It's about feeling mortified at every turn in terms of dating, writing, friending, sexing, eating, drinking, and plain old getting out of bed and not ending it all, to live another day.

Now that I've finished this book, I think I'll go back and read everything else Irby has ever written. I wanna say it's because I like reading vulnerable and transparent writing. But instead of saying that, I think I'll just read more unaffected writers like Irby.