Urgent, Unheard Stories

by Roxane Gay

A mini-collection of essays on books, reading, and the world of contemporary literature by Roxane Gay available as a limited edition, signed chapbook.
(From the Independent Book Store Day 2015 catalog)

Genres: Essays, Nonfiction, Short Stories, Books About Books, Feminism

64 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2015

About the author

Roxane Gay’s writing appears in Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, Best Sex Writing 2012, A Public Space, McSweeney’s, Tin House, Oxford American, American Short Fiction, Virginia Quarterly Review, and many others. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times. She is the author of the books Ayiti, An Untamed State, the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, the nationally bestselling Difficult Women and the New York Times bestselling Hunger. She is also the author of World of Wakanda for Marvel. She has several books forthcoming and is also at work on television and film projects. Her newsletter, The Audacity, where she also hosts The Audacious Book Club, can be found at audacity.substack.com.

Reviews

[Bill on GR Sabbatical · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not influenced by books. Instead, I am shaped by them. I am made of flesh and bone and blood. I am also made of books.

I bought this at Country Bookshelf, an independent bookstore in Bozeman, earlier this summer for a taste of Gay's voice. The five essays, and two interviews Gay conducted with writers Alissa Nutting and Kiese Laymon, touch on her central concerns with sexuality and race, but even more convey her passion for reading and writing books. The quote above is from "The Books That Made Me Who I Am: I Am the Product of Endless Books", the final piece and one of the strongest.

[Teresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this to support a local bookstore on Independent Book Store Day (one of the exclusive items available nationwide that day) but would've bought something else if not for my hearing the author speak at the Tennessee Williams Lit Fest a couple of years ago. I hadn't heard of her prior to that, and I was very impressed with her intelligence, forthrightness and humor. These qualities of hers are evident in these mini-essays and interviews, which I'm guessing were originally online (I hear she has a pretty famous blog), and thus were a breezy pleasure to read.

As lagniappe for my being the bookstore's last customer for the day, I was given this letterpress notepad: https://www.etsy.com/listing/15321581... How cool is that? It's so beautiful I hesitate to use it, at least for now.

[Jess | thegreeneyedreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a raw and beautiful collection of essays written and signed by Roxane Gay. These essays all revolve around books. Roxane discusses numerous books she has read and that have impacted her throughout her life. This chapbook intrigued me and contributed to my never-ending, always changing TBR list. It’s only 64 pages and worth reading.

Two of my favorites quotes from this book:

“Amazing writing from all kinds of writers is all around us. But I keep thinking about that young woman in Manhattan, Kansas. What I also wanted to tell her is this: Don’t worry about what to call yourself as a writer. Don’t worry about what people will call you. Write Urgent, Unheard Stories. Read Urgent, Unheard Stories.”

“In all these books and in so many more, I find the most essential parts of myself. I become more myself. I learn what to hold most necessary when using my voice. I learn and continue to learn how to use my voice. I am made of flesh and bone and blood. I am made of books. A list could not contain me.”

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short collection of essays compiled for Independent Bookstore Day 2015. The book contains seven essays, all appropriately discussing literature - what literature as a whole & certain books within it have meant to Gay, what's missing from mainstream publication & where she goes to find it. I appreciated the theme, especially in connection with the event for which the collection was produced. However, on the whole it missed the spark of "Bad Feminist," and I was surprised by the inclusion of two interviews of other authors conducted by Gay. They were interesting, but I would have rather had more from Gay herself. The collection remains solid, and fans of Gay will appreciate the insight into her influences and literary interests. I wouldn't recommend as an entry point to her work, though - check out "Bad Feminist" or "An Untamed State" for that.

The essays included are below - all have been previously published elsewhere.

- "Two Damn Books: How I Got Here and Where I Want to Go" - an introductory piece of sorts, orienting Gay at this moment in her literary career.
- "The Ten Best Books About Modern Virgins" - a list of Gay's favorite books on virginity.
- "A Literary Flyover" - in response to a piece on the best writers in Manhattan, Gay discusses her favorite authors from across the country.
- "The Modern Lolita: Dramatizing the Mind of a Female Pedophile in Alissa Nutting's Tampa" - an interview and discussion of "Tampa" by Alissa Nutting
- "A Conversation with Kiese Laymon" - an interview with Kiese Laymon, author of "Long Division" and "How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America."
- "Urgent, Unheard Stories" - Gay discusses the authors telling the stories that publishing needs more of, covering a wide swath of human experience and diversity.
- "The Books That Made Me Who I Am: I Am the Product of Endless Books" - my favorite in the collection, Gay discusses the books that have shaped her throughout her life. Responding to the social media meme asking for 10 books that influenced you, Gay asserts that she cannot limit herself to only ten. She explains "In all these books and in so many more, I find the most essential parts of myself. I become more myself... A list could not contain me."

A short final note: I commend Gay & Harper Perennial for supporting the event and am pleased my local Indie chose to carry it from the catalog of products available. The finished product left a little to be desired - there are some editing mishaps (missing italics for some titles in a couple essays, a quotation that perhaps should have been indented?) that tripped me up a bit, though the content still stands solidly.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

"In five years, I don't want to have the same damn conversations now that we're having about diversity in reading, writing, and publishing. I will, somehow, make sure more writers of color and women get the chance to be this lucky and hold such blessings in the warmth of their hands. I'm going to keep writing. I'm going to keep fighting. I've had a taste now if what publishing should be like for more of us. I am never going to stop."

Read this with pen and paper nearby or your Goodreads app open because you're going to want to take note of Gay's book suggestions.

These are essays about writing and reading, about why we write and read. Gay talks about herself without talking directly about herself much and instead focusing on the work of other writers.

It can be a little hard at times if you haven't read the books and stories she's referring to, but I took it as an opportunity to add so many things to my TBR.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roxane Gay put out this short collection in honor of National Independent Bookstore Day. I was psyched to get this copy since I loved both Bad Feminist and Untamed State. This collection was a disappointment. It was very uneven and some parts seem to have been written years ago (maybe for her blog)? Two of the essays were interviews with other others and three of the essays were detailed lists. While I appreciated the lists and why she included them, I wanted more of her voice, a la Bad Feminist. Because of that, I enjoyed the first and last essays the most.

Lastly, she described her next three books. All of which sound intriguing and I'm looking forward to their releases.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Roxane Gay's writing is wonderful as ever, and indeed, I had missed most of these pieces (most, if not all, of which were previously published online). But the book itself seems like a slapdash effort by Harper Perennial: there's some repetition between pieces that feels like redundancy instead of synchronicity; the proofreading seems sloppy; and tellingly, the running heads (UNTOLD STORIES) don't match the title of the book. A little disappointing after BAD FEMINIST was put together with such care.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just picked this up at Indie Bookstore Day, so happy to get to read it!
--
Small collection of essays from the last few years, exploring and recommending those urgent, unheard stories. Some of these I've read and loved, but too many are still waiting patiently in the queue. I always value Roxane Gay's insight, whether I agree with it or not, so it's time to search out the names and titles I'm not yet familiar with.

[Leslie]

This collection of essay-lists, sold in bookstores to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day, is a beauty. It's a fierce cry to read, and to read widely, to seek out the little-known and under-promoted. Better yet, it's specific. The recommendations in its pages will sculpt my used-book searching for years to come.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delicious little snack of a book, though I was surprised to see that this was essays and not, well, stories. It just made want more of Roxane's essays and has stoked desire to read Hunger.

[Hilary Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super short, quick read.

[Diana C. Nearhos · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm just the only person who doesn't really like Roxane Gay. I really want to like her work and keep trying it, but it just doesn't resonate for me.

[K · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this collection: a slim volume of essays put together as a special autographed limited edition for California Bookstore Day 2015. I certainly don't agree with all of it. I've mentally composed and abandoned a dozen ire-riddled responses to Roxane Gay's fascination with Lolita, which she brings up as both a formative part of her reading experience and as a central element in the essay "The Modern Lolita: Dramatizing the Mind of a Female Pedophile in Alissa Nutting's Tampa." I deeply object to the flawed idea that gender equality means taking the traditionally celebrated concept of pedophiliac males who prey on young girls and simply flipping the abuser and the victim. Rather than demonstrating that women can also be sexual predators, shouldn't we working to break down the idea of this being acceptable in any circumstance, or worth exploring through the eyes of the criminal?

I realize that satire has a role in literature. I'm not sure I embrace it. Or, at least, I think it needs to be wielded carefully and with a great deal of thought and skill behind it. The pen is a mighty weapon, which is so often misused or misunderstood. The original intention of a novel and its role in popular consciousness often differ: is it the authors' responsibility to ensure that their words are not used in harmful ways? I don't know. It's an interesting question, and one that this essay collection has made me think about in more detail. I have ideas bouncing around in my head where I'd like to explore what it means for a satirical novel like Lolita to twist into the popular definition of a "Lolita" as a "sexually precocious young girl," rather than "a girl who was kidnapped, assaulted, manipulated, raped, and regularly abused by one of the most despicable older male protagonists to ever be written."

It reminds me of that quote by Kurt Vonnegut:

I said many ignorant people nowadays thought 'Frankenstein' was the name of the monster, and not of the scientist who created him.
[Mary Shelley] said, 'That’s not so ignorant after all. There are two monsters in my story, not one. And one of them, the scientist, is indeed named Frankenstein.'

The monster in Lolita is Humbert Humbert, but this reality is so often buried beneath the idea of an eyelash-batting, skin-baring, lollipop-sucking young girl who wields her sexual potency in a way that makes it impossible for reasonable men to resist. It's sickening. I suppose it says more about our society and how we market to it than about the original novel, but the concept is inextricably ingrained in popular culture now, much like the image of Frankenstein as the lumbering, stitched-together creature rather than the scientist who dragged him into being and left him to destroy himself. Lolita, despite its original intentions, is now billed as a controversial love story; the book covers focus on images such as the girl's lush lips, on the parts of her that the monster hiding behind the pages saw, desired, and violently took for himself.

Am I interested in reading The Female Lolita, as Roxane Gay billed it in her author interview? No. I'd been noting down author names and titles as I worked my way through this book, and I quickly struck that one off the list. I'm also hesitating over the rest of the names now that I've seen the type of literature that she values. I suspect much of it will not be my style. But I think what makes this an important set of essays is that it evokes that kind of reaction. I'm completely on board with some of her arguments, and my hackles go up at others, which, I think, is a mark of a good essayist. Roxane Gay is clearly someone who challenges you, who sets those mental gears churning, who makes you dig down into yourself to identify the reasons behind your instinctive responses. Is it simply a gut reaction, a product of your culture and upbringing that needs to be burned away to make room for other ideas? Or, when you move past that initial impulse, do your words still hold their power?

I picked up Bad Feminist, her longer and more well-known collection of essays, and intend to read it soon. I think that book will give me a better idea of the author. Based on this book, I find her intelligent, intriguing, and someone I would probably argue with passionately in person. But in other ways, our thinking is quite similar. The key to this collection is the understanding that stories are important. That book lovers aren't "merely influenced by books," but that we are "shaped by them." They are in our blood. They became a part of who we are, how we see ourselves, and how we respond to the world. They stretch our understanding of other people and cultures who are not like us, and they expand our empathy in deeply necessary ways. That's why it's crucial for our reading experience to draw from as diverse a pool as possible.

In the title essay, "Urgent, Unheard Stories," Jynne Dilling Martin, the director of publicity at Riverhead Books, explains that their editorial team is "responding to the electricity of new perspectives that aren't treading the same worn paths we've been reading for decades...our writers don't feel like representatives [of their nationality or ethnicity], but like individuals with a unique perspective and an urgent, unheard story to tell."

This particular essay was so refreshing to read, because it reflects much of my thinking over the past few years, and the pet project I've been holding close to my heart. Every year, I see endless lists cross my social media feeds, or crop up in newspapers and magazines. "100 Books To Read In Your Lifetime," "Best Books of the Year," and so forth. Every list is clogged with white male authors (often many decades deceased). I don't dispute some of these authors' presence in the literary canon. After all, I grew up loving Charles Dickens and William Faulkner and many of the other authors who regularly appear on these lists. My objection comes from the point of view of a literature major who read F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises no less than three times each in the course of my academic career, exhaustively exploring the same themes of thwarted romance and impotence and masculinity. Regardless of the books' quality (and I'll be frank: I'm not a Hemingway or a Fitzgerald fan), there are too many beautiful, important books in the world to spend all your time rehashing the same literary canon over and over until all its ideas have been shredded apart and examined and sloppily put back together in a new wave of books telling the same stories.

I took one elective on "Women Writers" in college, which stands out in my memory because it introduced me to Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things, one of the most disturbingly beautiful books I've ever read. In some ways, it was an important class (which, of course, was almost entirely composed of female students and a female professor who choked up when she talked about books). Oddly, it was one of the least academically challenging I'd taken, as though it was more important to read a handful of female authors than to spend substantial amounts of time prying apart their themes and writing in depth about their characters. It was a dissatisfying class. I wanted to analyze their stories in the same way I would in any of my other classes. I never quite understood why we didn't - whether it was a side effect of the way the course was structured, or whether it was simply that particular professor's style. It also left me frustrated when I returned to the required "British Literature" or "American Literature" classes with anthologies composed of primarily white male authors, with maybe a handful of women or authors of color tossed into the mix to provide a little variety. I don't fault my college or my professors for this - it's a wider issue in literary culture, and one that's reflected by the publishing industry and by many reviewer lists. I do think that it's something that needs to change. Perhaps it is, slowly. I think there's much that can be done to speed up the process.

I read because I love books. They've helped me to mentally escape during parts of my life where I badly needed those worlds hovering outside my door. They've inspired me to think more deeply and to craft my writing in a way that can hopefully, some day, be similarly inspiring to others. They've expanded my view of the world and challenged my preconceived notions in ways that were sometimes painful and, occasionally, a relief. Literature has always been important and will continue to help shape our world. Roxane Gay's essays approach this idea from a variety of directions, pushing against the traditional boundaries of what defines literature and who belongs on these objectionable lists. "These lists matter," she explains," because they reflect, for better or worse, what literary culture values and what literary culture seems to willfully ignore."

My reaction, years ago, was to create alternate lists, to counter this endless parade of identical authors with a new set that accounts for different points of view and different genres. Why do we leave children's and YA literature off these lists, when they do so much to shape us as we grow into our world? Why are mysteries and fantasy and sci-fi and graphic novels broadly seen as non-literary, with a few sparkling exceptions who manage to cross over? Why are women and people of color afterthoughts, rather than a primary pool of authors who are writing about the human experience in new, creative, vibrant ways?

I don't know that new lists will solve this literary battle. I'm not sure what will, exactly, but I do know that I want to do my part. For now, it means reading as broadly and writing as thoughtfully as I can. Perhaps it means dusting off that book blog idea that I've had half-started for ~3 years now and continue thinking about longingly. Maybe it means supporting publishers like Riverhead Books that are trying to bring visibility to a wider variety of authors' voices. It probably means all of these things, and more.

So despite my objections to some of the material contained within this collection, I have to thank Roxane Gay for kicking up that challenge again. For talking about things that need to be discussed. For bringing up topics that are worthy of wider conversation. For making me want to warm up my fingers and debate with her in more detail.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me great suggestions on books to read.

[Ally · Rating 5 out of 5]

URGENT UNHEARD STORIES is a short and sweet collection of essays that meld bibliophilia, pop culture, and social justice. In true Roxane Gay style, she makes you laugh, makes you think, and makes you feel. In one essay, she shares her writerly origin story. Another lists the 10 best books about virgins, while another is an interview with Alissa Nutting not long after her novel TAMPA was published. My favorite essay is titled "The Books That Made Me Who I Am: I Am the Product of Endless Books", in which she discusses those novels that have had a significant impact on her life. In it, she writes - "I am not influenced by books. Instead, I am shaped by them. I am made of flesh and bone and blood. I am also made of books." Me too, Roxane. Me too.

As this collection was published as a limited edition for Independent Bookstore Day, a few years ago, it's not surprising that each entry has books/writing/reading at its center. Through each essay, you can revel in the bookishness of one of the most exciting authors in American literature and her urgent, unheard stories.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up Urgent, Unheard Stories after hearing Ms. Gay speak last year, and the slim tome is a nice companion to her better known Bad Feminist. This book focuses more on Ms. Gay’s life as a reader and writer, and I thought her essays on what it means to be a writer and her struggle to establish herself as a professional author were especially strong.

Also: If you have the chance to hear Ms. Gay speak: GO.

[Hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmmm…when I read Roxane Gay's essays about books / reading, it makes me feel like I haven't read many books. More books onto the to-read list I guess.

As the "Salty" Literary Tea Towel reads (also purchased on Independent Book Store Day): "It is likely I will die next to a pile of things I was meaning to read." --Lemony Snicket

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I am made of flesh and bone and blood. I am made of books. A list could not contain me."

Roxane Gay never fails to amaze me with her distinctly refreshing voice, and in this collection of essays she continues to hold her reputation as one of contemporary literature's best writers. While small in length, it will leave a lasting impression on both writers and readers alike.

[Shantel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very quick and interesting set of essays/interviews regarding Roxane Gay's thoughts on books, publishing, and being a writer. I appreciate how supportive Roxane is of her fellow writers, and got a lot of really great adds for my TBR list that I'd never heard of. Also, a favorite quote from the collection: " I am made of flesh and bone and blood. I am made of books. A list could not contain me."

[Dara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I particularly enjoyed the title essay as well as the concluding one, "The Books that Made Me Who I Am." Like Samantha Ellis' How to Be A Heroine, this short little collection just lengthened my to-read list.

[Eugenia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up reading this because my local bookstore was sold out of _Bad Feminist_ and offered me a signed copy of this limited edition instead. You get the flavor of her prose and her politics from these essays and I now think I'd be interested in reading her novel.

[Laura Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's like reading a conversation with someone about all the books that have been meaningful to them. I got some good recommendations that I'm looking forward to reading.

[Michelle | musingsbymichelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was like Roxane Gay's goodread account, but more intimate. It definitely gave me a list of books to add to my "to-read" list. The last chapter really hit home for me and I think for many people who live, breathe, and heal from books. "I am made of books."

[Crystal (VanillaHearts62) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was good for recommending other authors but it felt like it didn't all come together. I am confused as to what the point of the book was.
Read Hunger, loved it. Will be continuing with this author despite not understanding the premise of this book.

[Fictionista Du Jour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly quick read, the best thing about it was that it added 20 new books to my "to read" list. The worst thing about it was that it added 20 new books to my "to read" list. I love Gay's voice, and her perspectives on modern literature.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roxane Gay has a way of writing that is both vulnerable and veiled that makes reading her work seem like I'm gripping the edges of a piece of handmade lace too tightly.

[dkaufman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very short, but really awesome read. Has so many recommendations of small authors I have never heard of, so excited to try them out!

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is more like an extended zine full of book recommendations. I will definitely be turning to this for ideas when I'm feeling stumped on what to read next.

[Morgan Schulman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Filler

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many thanks to my writer daughter who introduces me to contemporary writers like Roxanne Gay.