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Mean

By Myriam Gurba
0.0 (0 reviews)
4.23 goodreads logo

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Check link for latest rating. ( 3,918 ratings, 518 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Mean by Myriam Gurba is a bold and unapologetic memoir interwoven with fiction that explores the complexities of identity, trauma, and resilience. The narrator recounts her experiences growing up as a queer, mixed-race Chicana, navigating the trials of adolescence while confronting personal and societal challenges. Through its sharp wit and candid prose, the book tackles heavy themes with a unique blend of humour and insight.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$5000

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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you appreciate a bold and unflinching exploration of identity, culture, and queerness. It blends humour with hard truths, weaving personal narrative with broader societal critique. Readers who enjoy a mix of memoir and fiction with an insightful, candid voice may find it particularly appealing.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Gurba grows up queer, chicana, and take no prisoners. Her story is a revelation, a delight, and an eye-opener.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Mean, a blend of true crime, memoir, and ghost story, is the bold and hilarious tale of Myriam Gurba's coming of age as a queer, mixed-race Chicana. Blending radical formal fluidity and caustic humour, Gurba addresses sexual violence, small towns, and race, turning what might be tragic into piercing, revealing comedy. This is a confident, intoxicating, brassy book that takes the cost of sexual assault, racism, misogyny, and homophobia deadly seriously.

We act mean to defend ourselves from boredom and from those who would cut off our breasts. We act mean to defend our clubs and institutions. We act mean because we like to laugh. Being mean to boys is fun and a second-wave feminist duty. Being mean to men who deserve it is a holy mission. Sisterhood is powerful, but being mean is more exhilarating.

Being mean isn't for everybody. Being mean is best practised by those who understand it as an art form. These virtuosos live closer to the divine than the rest of humanity. They're queers.

Myriam Gurba is a queer spoken-word performer, visual artist, and writer from Santa Maria, California. She's the author of Dahlia Season (2007, Manic D), which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award, Wish You Were Me (2011, Future Tense Books), and Painting Their Portraits in Winter (2015, Manic D). She has toured with Sister Spit and her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Latin American Art in Long Beach. She lives in Long Beach, where she teaches social studies to eighth-graders.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Myriam Gurba's Mean is celebrated for its sharp wit and biting satire, addressing themes of sexual assault, racism, and misogyny with dark humour and a fearless approach. Critics highlight Gurba's unique blend of memoir, social commentary, and poetic prose, which sharply critiques systemic injustices while offering redemption and levity amidst the darkness. With its innovative style and unyielding narrative, the book captures the harsh realities faced by women, particularly women of colour, and challenges readers to confront uncomfortable truths.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781566894913

Publisher: Coffee House Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 December 2017

Country: United States

Imprint: Coffee House Press

Illustration: Illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 139.0mm

Height: 209.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 160

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Literary Fiction Myriam Gurba

About the Author

Myriam Gurba lives in California and loves it. She teaches high school, writes, and makes "art." nbc described her short story collection Painting Their Portraits in Winter as "edgy, thought-provoking, and funny." She has written for Time, kcet, and The Rumpus. Wildflowers, compliments, and cash make her happy.

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