Thick is an invitation into the life and mind of a person with ferocious intelligence combined with a wicked sense of humor, stunning erudition and a spirit of not giving a hoot about what others think in the best possible way ... Cottom’s intersectionality is the work of a writer seeing the world clearly and deeply, and connecting the dots in fresh and revealing ways.
Despite these high stakes, Thick is more thematically broad and stylistically free than Lower Ed, which should appeal to readers who like intersectional analysis with a side of pop culture. The playful, familiar tone of the eight essays reminds readers why the author has captured the attention of [several outlets], and her many social media followers. The essays in Thick are economical in their use of words. They can deliver a swift punch in the gut but also be pithy, tongue-in-cheek, and fun ... McMillan Cottom transforms... narrative moments into analyses of whiteness, black misogyny, and status-signaling as means of survival for black women like her mother and herself ... Thick’s essays challenge readers to go further, beyond 'race 101.'
Essential reading for our times. These essays examine race, feminism, and culture with fierce intelligence ... The collection illustrates the power of a writer willing to reveal her passions, both personal and intellectual ... With its mix of personal writing, research, and cultural critique, Tressie McMillan Cottom’s Thick: And Other Essays shows the continued vitality of the essay genre while also making an essential argument about black women’s place in American culture.
... [McMillan Cottom 's] critically acclaimed second book displaying both her brilliance and keep-it-real demeanor ... Utilizing a dual lens of academic analysis and home-grown life experiences, McMillan Cottom challenges readers to consider the perspectives that hide behind the obvious ... McMillan masterfully utilizes wordplay in the title of each essay and throughout the book to reveal deeper meanings ... McMillan Cottom
challenges not only Black women’s intersections with white beauty but also their interactions with heterosexual Black masculinity and Black male investment in white beauty ... As McMillan unravels the layers of incompetency through a skillful interlocution between herself and herself as a scholar, the complete picture of how dangerous it is to measure one’s competence outside of oneself emerges ... McMillan Cottom really challenges the reader to rethink their perceptions of poverty and an assumed gateway to escape poverty.
Thought-provoking ... While the subject matter isn’t light, McMillan Cottom is subtly—and darkly—witty ... For fans of Roxane Gay’s Bad Feminist, Brittney Cooper’s Eloquent Rage and Rebecca Traister’s Good and Mad, Thick is frequently uncomfortable, but always compelling.
Throughout, the meshing of the personal and political and the author's take-no-prisoners attitude make these essays sizzle ... A provocative volume bound to stir argument and discussion.
Incisive, witty, and provocative ... showcases Cottom’s wisdom and originality and amply fulfills her aim of telling 'powerful stories that become a problem for power.'
