RaveThe Rumpus...Chee is a watcher, an observer constantly on the outside looking in and developing an acute sensitivity that has enabled him to craft an earnest and moving essay collection about the relationship of art to one’s life and how they bleed into and influence one another ... the effect of reading Chee’s essays is to be reminded of why we write, but also, why we read, even in these times of never ending distress. You don’t know who you can affect, who will connect with your work, who you can urge to keep going despite whatever trauma or grief or pain. To read this book is to be reminded that this is what the best of literature can do. It is such a gift, and I am grateful.
