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In this stunning debut collection, award-winning voice actor and cultural critic Tajja Isen explores the absurdity of living in a world that has grown fluent in the language of social justice but doesn’t always follow through.
These nine daring essays explore the sometimes troubling and often awkward nature of that discord. Some of My Best Friends takes on subjects including the cartoon industry’s pivot away from color-blindcasting, the pursuit of diverse representation in the literary world, the law’s refusal to see inequality, and the cozy fictions of nationalism. Throughout, Isen deftly examines the quick, cosmetic fixes society makes to address systemic problems and reveals the unexpected ways they can misfire.
In the spirit of Zadie Smith, Cathy Park Hong and Jia Tolentino, Isen interlaces cultural criticism with her lived experience to explore the gaps between what we say and what we do, what we do and what we value, and what we value and what we demand.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 3, 2022 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9780385680943
- File size: 215666 KB
- Duration: 07:29:18
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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February 28, 2022
Catapult editor-in-chief Isen scrutinizes society’s attempts to bandage over such issues as race and gender inequality in her powerful debut. In “Hearing Voices,” she recounts her experience as a voice actor and takes a look at animation’s “authenticity boom” as white voice actors cease to play characters of color, though she remains skeptical of industry claims that “we must strive for perfect alignment between the body of the voice actor and that of the character.” In the title essay, she probes the tensions between the marginalization of white women and the protection of their racial privilege, and examines the ways people navigate these tensions, such as by “claiming softness and vulnerability as a form of power,” while simultaneously being able to access power by “disavowing softness altogether.” Meanwhile, in “Dead or Canadian,” the author puncures the myth that “Canada does not have a racism problem,” and “Do You Read Me” is a damning look at the publishing industry’s attempts to diversify. Isen’s voice is both wry and sensitive as she fearlessly lays out the limits of talk in solving inequality; fans of sharp cultural criticism, take note. Agent: Rayhané Sanders, Massie & McQuilkin Literary. (Apr.)Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly framed the author's perspective in the essay "Hearing Voices."
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