Sometimes it’s best to take a pause and do some introspection. These works are the result of three authors taking the time to look inward and write unflinching accounts of what they found.
“I Want to Burn This Place Down: Essays” by Maris Kreizman is a look at what happens when the promises of good grades and dutiful rule-following fail to result in stability. Kreizman was raised to be a good child, fed the ideas that all her hard work would pay off in a well-paying job and a nice house. What occurred instead is confusion, instability, and being taken advantage of. And that is what happens to a lot of people. Kreizman faces her own precarious situation as a person with a chronic illness and shows how few protections there are. She writes how the world was never set up for people like her to succeed and the only way to amend it is to try to take care of each other. Yes, she wants to burn it down but in order to build something better in its place.
Aiden Arata’s “You Have a New Memory” is a look at the strange world that now exists between the physical world and the digital. Arata dives deep into the world of influencers and likens them to modern day grifters, creating illusions of health and wealth. She zeroes in on the genre of stay-at-home girlfriends and their shiny but precarious lifestyle. It isn’t all filters and poised shots though, there is the fact that we have begun using the internet as our external memory and moral compass while ceding our own abilities to modulate either. The work looks at how we have boiled down political belief from facts and deep soul searching to just going on vibes. It’s a thoughtful look at what we have gained from the digital world, and the price that we paid.
Rax King is definitely someone who knows who she is, including all the bad parts. In her latest work “Sloppy: or, Doing It All Wrong,” King reflects on her own behaviors, including lying, sobriety, and her issues with relationships. King explores the problematic but also sympathetic relationship with her parents, both fervent followers of the 12-step program. It impacts her future struggles of addiction and sobriety which now are under control, save for her love of shoplifting Brandy Melville items. She doesn’t shy away at looking at her own anger issues and how it affects those around her. King looks at the messy parts of what it means to be human and invites us to do the same.
Enjoy these books and more at your local library!