The Selected Jenny Zhang

by Jenny Zhang

In the Emily Books original publication The Selected Jenny Zhang, we’re delighted to be offering the first collection of Jenny Zhang’s work in ebook format, including some work no longer available in print. This collection features the chapbooks previously published as Dear Jenny, We Are All Find and HAGS as well as the essay “How It Feels.”

We fell for Jenny's work because she’s not afraid to be gross; in fact, she loves being gross. She puts the grossness in service of something powerful.

That grossness, and that power, provides the essential heartbeat of all Zhang’s work, both prose and poetry. In her work, she describes everything from sloppy sex and menstruation to a depression so intense she shat herself rather than get out of bed.
This visceral bodily descriptiveness is never deployed simply for shock value, by articulating the taboo, Zhang has carved space within literature for the brutal honesty of postmodern girlhood. In many instances, she does this by calling out her readers’ preconceived notions of who she is and what she is writing about.

Genres: Poetry, Essays, Nonfiction

132 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Jenny Zhang is an American writer, poet, and prolific essayist based in Brooklyn, New York. One focus of her work is on the Chinese American immigrant identity and experience in the United States. She has published a collection of poetry called Dear Jenny, We Are All Find and a non-fiction chapbook called Hags.

Reviews

[Linh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't for me, but if poetry about sex and faeces is your thing, with a bit of PoMo thrown in, then it might be yours. The "end" was a bit better, or by that point, I was more familiar with her style.

[Lizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

I don't even like poetry but this piece, The Selected Jenny Zhang, reads like a conversation with the voice of that one friend who tells you way too much information and it's hilariously endearing

[LT · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly this book was just too anarchist and depressing for me to get through. I liked Jenny Zhang’s prose a lot more. I did like her essay at the beginning though.

[Mel]

For a book which spends a helluvalotof time talking about how other peoples's art makes her feel, this book makes you feel a lot.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

These main character is very well-written.

[Trudy · Rating 5 out of 5]

These poems and essays are amazing. I can't wait to read her new book that's coming out this summer.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a big poetry reader, but I liked this contemporary collection. I especially took to HAGS.