RaveTIMETaylor unearths these layered struggles with tenderness and complexity, from the first gorgeous sentence of his book to its very last ... Reading Real Life — which is equal parts captivating, erotic, smart and vivid — reminded me of experiences from my own history ... Relationships between queer men and men who are straight — or at least who present as such — can be difficult to depict, when our culture is so rigid in its portrayal of sexuality and masculinity, but the ambiguity Taylor creates on the page between Wallace and Miller is devastatingly effective ... Taylor’s book isn’t about overcoming trauma or the perils of academia or even just the experience of inhabiting a black body in a white space, even as Real Life does cover these subjects. Taylor is also tackling loneliness, desire and — more than anything — finding purpose ... What makes it most special, though, is that Real Life is told from the perspective of Wallace, who, like so many other gay black men I know, understands how such a quest is further complicated by racism, poverty and homophobia ... stunning.
Bassey Ikpi
RaveEssence...what matters most to me is Ikpi is able to bring us into her world and capture how the moments she shares with us made her feel. So, while Ikpi is correct in that what she does remember is presented with \'stark clarity\' in select essays, as far as the details that are scant to her, where they may lack in specifics they make up for in beautiful prose on what life with mental illness looks like in all its facets through powerful stories found throughout her debut book ... Ikpi provides immense insight into what so many people living with bipolar II disorder—including those we love—have to grapple with ... I can’t say I’ve ever read a narrative about it like this ... her writing is yes, poetic and lyrical with tenderness and thoughtfulness but also funny. She’s just so damn funny and her wit often makes her essays as humorous as they are heartbreaking.
