Simon & Schuster Canada

Rae’s essay collection is a romp of self-deprecating wit relating the anxiety-ridden life experiences of a trilingual, fashion-deficient, Stanford-educated, Halfrican millennial. Rae’s stated intent is to entertain and instruct by sharing the uncomfortable moments that shaped her. But her book’s appeal goes far beyond those modest ambitions. It succeeds most dramatically–and comically–in presenting an appropriately complex representation of black womanhood in all its quirky splendor. We, as a society, need more authentic representations of black women to push us beyond the usual stereotypes and caricatures. Rae succeeds in sharing a portrait of a well-educated, creative, entrepreneurial woman. Yet she sidesteps the damaging pitfall of presenting a flawless front to bolster respectability and approval. Instead, she jokes about experiences most would edit out of their public profiles, such as of catfishing at eleven and getting blocked on Twitter by a disabled stripper years later. She’s giving us her humanity, warts and all. — Maya Smart, BookRiot