The Most Recommended Essay Collections
“A collection of essay collections for every mood.”
The heat of summer can mean one of two things: a hot muggy mess, or a breath of fresh air—and we don’t know about you but we’d prefer the latter. With the long-awaited season finally, at our cusp, we’re offering up a lineup of thought-provoking yet witty essays. But we must warn you; these aren’t one-time reads, they’re a collection that you’ll cherish for a lifetime. Curl up in a dedicated reading chair and dig in.
Against Everything by Mark Greif
Recommended by marawa wamp, jill singer, and natalie o'moore
While the promise to find fault in everything contemporary culture stands for isn’t the most natural way to kick start an essay, Against Everything does it oh-so-well. Witty from the get-go, Mark Greif covertly conveys the way we perceive the raw commodities of today’s world. Covering the political identity hipsters adopt, to asking why we put ourselves through the pain of exercise, this thought-provoking read gets our mind working overtime.
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Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
Recommended by hallie gould, jenna rosenberg, and christina andrew
Here’s an assignment for you: Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim (no, not literally, read the book, and you’ll understand). A master in scripting highly entertaining essays, David Sedaris presents what from the outside seems like a ‘normal’ life, but beneath the surface is a flare-up of obscure yet relatable hidden thoughts and agendas. Family, friends, and foreign feelings – nothing is left unturned.
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We Are Never Meeting In Real Life by Samantha Irby
Recommended by angie venezia and mari andrew
In her New York Times bestseller, Samantha Irby stands by the premise, ‘if you’re not going to cry about it, you might as well laugh’. So should we. Whether she’s reliving her awkward sexual encounters or sharing how her difficult childhood led to some serious ‘adult’ snags, the comedian-turned-author injects her innate humor into the ghosts of her past. The powerful truths can go either way, so have a box of tissues nearby as it’s about to get deep.
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Intimations by Zadie Smith
Recommended by lindsey tramuta, nada alic, and shawana grosvenor
Intimations is an elegant collection of quarantine essays written in the early months of lockdown. It explores notions and questions prompted by unforeseen circumstances. These words offer a moment of reflection while allowing you to think about what you want to happen next. Zadie Smith is more than just a moving writer, some would say she’s a highly intelligent life coach too. Bringing to light the realities of life, the author offers ways to cope with difficulty without losing sight of those around you.
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Too Much and Not the Mood by Durga Chew-Bose
Recommended by nicole steriovski and alix gutierrez
Too Much and Not the Mood, is one of those books you’ll carry around in your pocket for years to come and want to pass on from generation to generation. Reading like poetry, the essays explore what it means to be a young woman working in creative industries today. Speaking from the heart, Durga Chew-Bose isn’t afraid to get personal. A cultural critic with no filter, the collection is just as profound as it is a revelational relief.
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Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing
Recommended by nada alic and eva berezovsky
One for the art lovers and gallery-goers, Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency puts forward the pressing importance of art today. Between the political turmoil and Twitter wars, Olivia Laing combines her career's worth of essays, reviews, profiles, and columns from acclaimed art magazine Frieze, to create her well-informed case. Expect to read love letters to David Bowie and profiles on the mother of American modernism Georgia O'Keeffe.
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The Art of Eating by M.F.K. Fisher
Recommended by verena von pfetten
M.F.K. Fisher’s The Art of Eating is like a fine wine, it only gets better with age. Sixty years on, indulging in her sweet words proves just as fulfilling as back when the book was first published. A staple to the genre, she ranks amongst the most critically acclaimed foodies of all time. Serving up a slice of infatuation with a side of wit, Fisher proves that the path to true love is through our stomachs.
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Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion
Recommended by Alison Roman, Olivia Fleming, Hallie Gould, and marina sulmona
If the California dream seems miles away, settle for Joan Didion’s account of the peculiarities of life in the golden state in the ‘60s instead. Like many of her other reads, the author’s words stay with you for a lifetime as she uses a stylized tempo to refract her own story through the tales of those who, in some mesmerizing way, don’t fit into the culture of their unforgettable era.
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Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century by Alice Wong
Recommended by amanda ballerini and marina sulmona
Disability is a word that umbrellas a multitude of meanings – some are visible, others less perceptibly presenting. But the fact is that one in five people in the United States lives with a disability, and it’s a highly underrepresented subject in the media today. With this in mind, it’s apt that Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century was published just in time for the celebration of the Americans with Disabilities Act's thirtieth anniversary. Activist Alice Wong brings together this urgent, stimulating line-up of contemporary essays by disabled people and welcomes their choir of voices into the fold of conversation.
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So Sad Today by Melissa Broder
Recommended by lauren nostro and angie venezia
Ballsy and equally beautiful, So Sad Today addresses a subject that some people are too afraid to talk about. A topic that, as of late, was deemed taboo. Yes, we’re talking about anxiety. Acclaimed poet and mother of popular Twitter account @SoSadToday, Melissa Broder understands first hand the struggles of anxiety. Taking it by the horns, she uses her sharp humor to dive in headfirst. Talking all things love, sex, and low self-esteem, the memoir of essays follows a similar theme to those on her social media account. For some, technology is a mask to hide behind, for others, it’s a liberating way to say the things you just need to say.
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Other recommendations include Loitering by Charles D'Ambrosio (as recommended by Cassie Marketos), The White Album by Joan Didion (as recommended by Hallie Gould and Lisa Mayock), Our Women on the Ground by Zahra Hankir (as recommended by Lindsey Tramuta), and The Opposite of Loneliness by Marina Keegan (as recommended by Laura Brown).
Words by Trifonia Asmar