A review by roctothorpe
Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture by Roxane Gay

challenging dark emotional sad slow-paced

4.0

Took me a long time to finish but this anthology was excellent. I especially appreciated the diversity of stories and identities included, as the collection features perspectives from trans, queer, cis women and men of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. My favorites of the bunch were Picture Perfect by Sharisse Tracey (a Black woman recounts the sexual violence she faced at the hands of her father, her mother believes her but does nothing, and the struggle to maintain the image of a perfect Black family) and Invisible Light Waves by Meredith Talusan (a woman talks about how she put up with a man who violated her consent because of her desire to feel wanted and loved, and doesn't reveal until the end that
she is trans
). Each piece is narrated by the author in the audiobook, which I thought was especially powerful. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings