Meaty: 2013 Book #38

I use Grammarly to check grammar online because grammar is the difference between knowing your shit and knowing you’re shit.

5 of 5 stars
I enjoyed this collection of non-fiction essays quite a bit – I’m not familiar with Samantha Irby’s blog, but all these pieces read like they could be ripped out of the manuscript and find a home on a site filled with snark and biting wit. Perhaps they originated there – either way, the voice translates well to a printed, consume in one sitting format. Each essay is a snackable insight into her life as a single black Chicagoan who’s being real about the trials of adulthood.

What struck me most about the essays is that Irby is just being honest. All of us like to pretend we’ve got our shit together as adults, but she takes an unflinching, deprecating look at the airs we all put on to make it look like we’re not insecure, uncertain or just plain immature when it comes to our responsibilities. Even though going in I would have told you that I have very little in common with a single black woman living paycheck to paycheck with Crohn’s disease, there’s a LOT of material that strikes close to home here.

It takes a lot for a book to make me chuckle out loud, but she has plenty of little stingers and punchlines that come out of nowhere. This book is getting a lot of attention in Chicago and nationally, and for good reason. First thing I did after finishing the book was head over to her blog and add it to my daily firehose of content to consume.