In the past, I was never a fan of Roxane Gay’s writing, least of all her op-eds in the New York Times. Now, I’m changing my mind. Gay’s Opinions is an excellent collection that brings together a wide variety of her past writings from numerous sources. There were parts of the book that I found challenging, and I think that this challenge comes from a sense of Leftist melancholia that has fallen over me. The late 2010s and early 2020s were supposed to be the moment of shift, I suppose, but it seems today that reaction is the order of the day. Reading some of these essays, it’s easier to see what has been lost, including some of the exesses of that moment’s rhetoric. Nevertheless, Gay fights the same fight that I do, and I am with her through and through.

While her most widely read pieces were previously on various aspects of identity politics, especially on race and gender, her best writing is actually the cultural pieces, and it is a wonder that she isn’t better recognized for these. She does not step back from her argumentative writing, but she is such a strong expository writer–especially when talking about her own experiences with a piece of culture–that I wish these were the pieces that were really elevated. Her commentary on the Fast & Furious franchise, is excellent, and she’s so thoughtful when she reviews novels.

At the same time, her interviews and profiles of “famous individuals” are also great. In particular, there are outstanding profiles here on Melina Matsoukas (who directed Queen & Slim), Janelle Monáe, Sarah Paulson, and Tessa Thompson. I wish there were more of these, although other–perhaps even more prominent individuals, like Madonna and Nicki Minaj–appear in the book but aren’t nearly as illuminating.

I think, after reading this book, I’ll be picking up some of her other books, including Hunger, Bad Feminist, and her short stories.