(A note on language: I use the term “victim” in the context of the criminal justice system, and “survivor” – in accordance with advice from organizations such as the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network – for those who have gone through the recovery process, or when discussing the effects of sexual violence.) The diversity is striking – not only of perspectives, but approach, too. In Not That Bad the writer and editor Roxane Gay collects essays, almost all by survivors of rape, sexual assault, or child abuse. Elisabeth Egan, “The 17 Best Books to Read this Summer,” Glamour Perhaps that’s the lesson we’re meant to take away from Not that Bad: we’re all “regular.” Shocking as they are, many of these stories will be familiar to us all-and we all deserve better. Gay’s introduction moved me to tears, as did many of the pieces contributed by household names-Gabrielle Union, Ally Sheedy-but accounts from “regular” women moved me even more. IndieBound, Powell’s City of Books, iBooks, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Praiseįrom the author of Bad Feminist and Hunger (drop everything if you haven’t read this) comes a collection of first-person essays about rape, assault and sexual harassment. Like Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me, Not That Bad will resonate with every reader, saying “something in totality that we cannot say alone.” Searing and heartbreakingly candid, this provocative collection both reflects the world we live in and offers a call to arms insisting that “not that bad” must no longer be good enough. Covering a wide range of topics and experiences, from an exploration of the rape epidemic embedded in the refugee crisis to first-person accounts of child molestation, this collection is often deeply personal and is always unflinchingly honest.

Contributions include essays from established and up-and-coming writers, performers, and critics, including actors Ally Sheedy and Gabrielle Union and writers Amy Jo Burns, Lyz Lenz, Claire Schwartz, and Bob Shacochis. In this valuable and revealing anthology, cultural critic and bestselling author Roxane Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face, and where they are “routinely second-guessed, blown off, discredited, denigrated, besmirched, belittled, patronized, mocked, shamed, gaslit, insulted, bullied” for speaking out.

Not That Bad by Roxane Gay