What do you think?
Rate this book
Everything's Trash, But It's Okay
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Humor (2018)DON’T MISS PHOEBE ROBINSON’S COMEDY SERIES EVERYTHING’S TRASH—NOW ON FREEFORM!New York Times bestselling author and star of 2 Dope Queens Phoebe Robinson is back with a new, hilarious, and timely essay collection on gender, race, dating, and the dumpster fire that is our world.Wouldn't it be great if life came with instructions? Of course, but like access to Michael B. Jordan's house, none of us are getting any. Thankfully, Phoebe Robinson is ready to share everything she has experienced to prove that if you can laugh at her topsy-turvy life, you can laugh at your own.Written in her trademark unfiltered and witty style, Robinson's latest collection is a call to arms. Outfitted with on-point pop culture references, these essays tackle a wide range of giving feminism a tough-love talk on intersectionality, telling society's beauty standards to kick rocks, and calling foul on our culture's obsession with work. Robinson also gets personal, exploring money problems she's hidden from her parents, how dating is mainly a warmed-over bowl of hot mess, and definitely most important, meeting Bono not once, but twice. She's struggled with being a woman with a political mind and a woman with an ever-changing jeans size. She knows about trash because she sees it every day--and because she's seen roughly one hundred thousand hours of reality TV and zero hours of Schindler's List.With the intimate voice of a new best friend, Everything's Trash, But It's Okay is a candid perspective for a generation that has had the rug pulled out from under it too many times to count.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2018
492 people are currently reading
16947 people want to read
About the author
Phoebe Robinson
6 books1,134 followersPhoebe Robinson is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actress whom Vulture.com, Essence, and Esquire have named one of the top comedians to watch. She has appeared on NBC’s Late Night with Seth Meyers and Last Call with Carson Daly; TBS's Conan, Comedy Central’s Broad City, and @midnight with Chris Hardwick; as well recently landing a recurring role on the new Jill Soloway show for Amazon I Love Dick.
Robinson’s writing has been featured in The Village Voice, NY Mag, and on Glamour.com, TheDailyBeast.com, VanityFair.com, Vulture.com, and NYTimes.com. She was also a staff writer on MTV’s hit talking head show, Girl Code, as well as a consultant on season three of Broad City.
Most recently, she created and starred in Refinery29’s web series Woke Bae and, alongside Jessica Williams, formerly of The Daily Show, she is the creator and costar of the hit WNYC podcast 2 Dope Queens as well as the host of the critically-acclaimed WNYC podcast Many White Guys. Robinson is the author of the New York Times best selling book, You Can't Touch My Hair, a collection of essays about race, gender, and pop culture. Robinson lives and performs stand-up in Brooklyn, NY, and is busy planning her upcoming nuptials to Michael Fassbender.
Robinson’s writing has been featured in The Village Voice, NY Mag, and on Glamour.com, TheDailyBeast.com, VanityFair.com, Vulture.com, and NYTimes.com. She was also a staff writer on MTV’s hit talking head show, Girl Code, as well as a consultant on season three of Broad City.
Most recently, she created and starred in Refinery29’s web series Woke Bae and, alongside Jessica Williams, formerly of The Daily Show, she is the creator and costar of the hit WNYC podcast 2 Dope Queens as well as the host of the critically-acclaimed WNYC podcast Many White Guys. Robinson is the author of the New York Times best selling book, You Can't Touch My Hair, a collection of essays about race, gender, and pop culture. Robinson lives and performs stand-up in Brooklyn, NY, and is busy planning her upcoming nuptials to Michael Fassbender.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 973 reviews
August 5, 2018
Phoebe Robinson brings her infectious charm and utterly delightful sense of humor to her second essay collection, Everything’s Trash But That’s Okay. From body image to contemporary feminism to our culture of overwork, Robinson offers deft cultural criticism and hilarious personal anecdotes that will make readers laugh, cringe, and cry. Everything may indeed be trash but writing like this reminds us that we’re gonna make it through all the terrible things with honesty, laughter, and faith.
It’s not a perfect book--at times, Robinson overwrites, gets lost in tangents, and uses five jokes to make a point where one or two would sufice but this is still well worth a read.
It’s not a perfect book--at times, Robinson overwrites, gets lost in tangents, and uses five jokes to make a point where one or two would sufice but this is still well worth a read.
December 13, 2018
Anyway, as I was saying, women are conditioned to waste hours, days, weeks, months (although, truth be told, it's most likely years) doubting, undermining, and ultimately hating parts, if not all, of themselves based solely on "problems" with their bodies that can be solved by buying products from an industry that invented these problems in the first place. How fucking convenient. And when all is said and done, what is the prize for this self-torture? Fitting neatly within society's destructive narrative about the female body. 22
So. I think this book is even better than Robinson's debut You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain. It's more current, more relevant, and funnier IMO.
Which is hard to say, because I gave her first book five stars.
Robinson's genius is combining feminism and anti-racism with comedy.
I'm a feminist and it's hard for me to read feminist books. Feminist books are important and I do read them. But they make me severely depressed and usually also make me feel like I should never touch a man again. Which is ridiculous - I know some amazing men and definitely know men aren't trash - but it's like reading the newspaper.
You don't even have to be a feminist and be ingesting feminist literature to know women are hated and shat on by society. Just read the paper in the morning. Bam. I read the paper yesterday and it was just full of disgusting actions against women which had taken place. When people argue about feminism not being needed any more because women and men are equal now, I just look at them like they've grown two heads. It's SO OBVIOUS this isn't true that my head spins every time someone tells me this.
You can say the same thing about racism. But the reason people avoid educating themselves on racism and sexism is because they don't want to be depressed and they don't want to give up their comforts and they don't want to face reality. I understand. Reading feminist books and books about racism make me very depressed, too. I understand people wanting to stick their heads in the sand and pretend everything is just peachy and there are no problems anymore. I imagine it's the same urge that drives climate-change deniers.
Robinson is a genius. I've heard people take her to task because she "sugarcoats" her messages about how women and POCs are shat on in modern American society. But in fact, her way of presenting knowledge about the female experience and the non-white experience in America is GENIUS. She is a genius.
She's so funny. Parts of the book have absolutely nothing to do with sexism and racism. She talks about random stuff, music, her friends, food, working, whatever. She has you laughing out loud. Then she shifts to talking about how horrible the patriarchy is. It's not sudden, it's not jarring. It's brilliant. You're laughing and then you realize how shitty what she is describing actually is. Then you're laughing again.
People complain about Robinson's super-casual Twitter-speak which is long, rambling, filled with hashtags and random abbreviations and quite frankly a way of writing which will be indecipherable to a lot of people. I understand. I'm either too old or not "social media" enough to understand what she is talking about a lot of the time. Let's take a look:
There was Carrie Fisher (White Jesus, why?), Prince (Black Jesus, why?), George Michael (Levi Jeans Jesus, I can't), and David Bowie (Alien Jesus aka the feathers from Björk's swan dress at the 2001 Oscar ceremony < squawk, blergh, blop > - because y'all know Björk and anything in Björk's universe only communicates through sound). Oof. I don't know about you, but I was overcome with emotion at seeing so many pop culture icons pass. Utterly devastated. Heartbroken and beside myself. So I mourned like we all did. APPROPRIATELY. Okay, I didn't, but I tried. Well, I tried the way I do when the heater in my apartment is too high and instead of getting up to adjust the thermostat, I say to no one, "It's too hot," and then unzip my onesie down to my hips so that I end up looking like a caterpillar taking a cigarette break mid-metamorph-morph aka metamorphosis. #IgnorantAbbrev #SorryForWastingYourTime. Anyhoo, I did not try very hard NOT to be utterly inappropriate mere days after Bowie's death.
When he passed, I feel down the usual internet rabbit hole many of us are wont to do when someone famous dies. I read think pieces, bought any albums I didn't already own, watched old performances on YouTube. After about forty-eight hours of this, I became an unofficial truther of Bowie's personal life, hoping that in my quest to unearth all the last unknown details about him, this busywork would distract me from the reality that we're all going to die. And since this mission was rooted in earnest and profound love for the dead, I felt like Doogie Howser at the end of Doogie Howser, M.D., just writing smart bon mots about what I'd learned. But I wasn't. My good intentions were quickly replaced by my just-below-the-surface hot mess tendencies.
About three days after Bowie died and amid a particularly wide-eyed-and-awake-at-four-in-the-morning internet hunt, I typed this into Google:
Did David Bowie have a big penis?
I know, I know, I KNOW! And it's not like I pulled up Googs's "incognito window," which wouldn't have recorded this question in my browser's history. I typed this question in the broad-as-the-Alaskan-daylight-during-midnight-sun season aka Google's regular search window, where anyone could track what I'd done. To which, Google basically responded à la Danny Glover from the Lethal Weapon franchise, "I'm too old for this shit," and then set about unsuccessfully trying to save me from my trifling ways. I started with "Did David Bowie," and before I could continue, Google countered with this auto-complete:
Did David Bowie wrote "My Way"
What in the hell kind of poor-grammar-of-a-troubled-youth-from-Dangerous-Minds voodoo is this? Can't lie, I admire the tactic, but this search engine knew not who they were messing with. In my twenties, I once had a girls' sleepover and made us watch Showgirls. Then we went to bed, and when we woke up, I convinced them to watch Showgirls again. Clearly, my ignorance is only matched by my determination. Googs sounding like the "Cash Me Outside, How 'Bout Dat" girl was cute, but no way was that stopping me. 4
I know some people are thinking, "Oh, I can't read a book written like this." But hear me out. I'm not well-versed in pop culture nor am I on Twitter. But if you are shaking and scratching your head, let me tell you, by page 30 I was laughing out loud. Really belly-laughing. Robinson is FUNNY. I mean, she's FUNNY. She reminds me of Erma Bombeck (I'm dating myself) in the way she can describe a situation in a way that has you in stitches. Even when Robinson is describing something completely horrifying - one example is a man who has sex with her, and then immediately after sex says to her, "There are exercises that you can do to tone up your thighs.". Things go downhill from there, but Robinson describes this scenario in such a hilarious way I was laughing hard.
That's her genius. So, this guy is an asshole and Robinson talks about a lot of male assholes in this book. She talks about getting sexually harassed, she talks about being demeaned and degraded by men she meets at parties, men she's dated, men she's slept with. She talks about how society treats women and how society treats black women and how horrifying it is. Of course, reading this it all sounds terribly depressing and like the book is a huge downer. But because Robinson coats all this with her excellent sense of humor, people can be LEARNING and LAUGHING at the same time. She is making you laugh but at the same time inside you are going, "Wow, that's fucked up. I never realized this sexist/racist reality before." It's genius.
All kidding aside, it seems after doing an informal survey with my straight girlfriends, the whole negging post-coit is commonplace. Some have been told they get "too wet" down there, take too long to come, are not thin enough to date publicly but are good enough for "sex on the DL," and one buddy of mine, who is not particularly into period sex but decided to go for it with encouragement from a guy she was dating , was told by him MIDSEX that he didn't really enjoy the way her vagina smelled while she was on her period. Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me?!
Unfortunately, women are all too familiar with this type of gross body-shaming; furthermore, it is behavior that, for far too long, some men have thought is perfectly acceptable. But before I get into how society has conditioned men to express all opinions, especially the hurtful ones, about women TO women, let's return to #Thighgate2010, because every lady I know - whether she is gay, straight, or anywhere on the sexuality spectrum - has self-esteem issues in part due to outside sources like Eric. And us women all respond differently. Some do work out more. Or eat more. Or starve. Or feel unworthy. 32
It would also be a mistake to brush off Robinson's intelligence, which is formidable. I think because of the way she talks (like a fifteen-year-old girl on Twitter) people might dismiss her. That would be a mistake.
After talking about some random stuff and making you laugh about, IDK, talking to your parents about sex or something, on the next page she could be laying down knowledge like she's a professor of women's studies. I mean... I've been a feminist for a long time, and I have to say Robinson knows her shit. She knows what she is talking about, and it would be a real mistake to underestimate her or think she is a lightweight or a tumblr-feminist. No, she's for real. It might be tempting to lose sight of this considering how she conveys information - how can she be a feminist when she isn't even being serious? - but in reality, it's the exact opposite. She lulls you into being amused and calm and then seeds her pages with some hard-core feminist ideas. She gives you belly laughs about her shenanigans with her best friends and then slams you with how modern racism still permeates daily life. It's very smart. It's very well-done. It's a great way to feed feminism and anti-racism to people who may be reluctant to educating themselves on those points.
She also takes on fat-shaming and spends a chapter talking about fat activism and how we can help the world be a better place for fat people. I loved this, I think it's very necessary to talk about this. Especially since she did include a rather tone-deaf comment about being fat in her previous book. Seems like she's turned around since then. I loved how she was standing up for fat rights in here as well as fighting discrimination against women and POC.
I'm talking real actual shit. Instead of being silently complicit or only speaking up half the time, I'm talking about putting dudes in their place every damn time they think they can fat-shame women who are bigger than me. I cannot tell you the amount of times I've heard men, who think they are in a "safe space" with me, reveal what they truly feel about women who don't fall within societal beauty standards. Let me just say that "disgusting," "pig," "never would I ever fuck her," and many other objectionable comments often make the rounds. 54
She's a size 10/12, and I think after putting up with a lot of shit from men, like when one said to her,
"I would never date a girl whose thighs spread when she sat down." 35
she kind of realized what horrible bullshit there is about being a fat person and the way people think they can judge and comment on women's bodies (which are never 'good enough,' even when they are 'thin') without consequence. It's a great chapter. I know people who were upset with the tiny shades of fat-shaming in the first book will be ecstatic by this turn of events.
I know I've talked a lot about the racism, feminism, and fat-hatred that Robinson tackles in this book - but there are just as many goofy moments and joking and laughs about Robinson's life and her experiences. Sometimes it can even fill you with joy. The section about her meeting her idol Bono was just the cutest thing I've ever read. So cute. She was so happy, and seeing her magical dreams come true in the most loving way possible was just so adorable and life-affirming. :D Very sweet. And she loves her parents, talks about them a lot. She has close girlfriends, watches too much tv, and always thinks whoever she's dating is The One she is going to get married to. She's very funny. It's a fun, cute book - which also educates you about the still-present desperate need for change in the way we treat others.
TL;DR Even better than You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain in my opinion. Robinson kills it in this book. She's funny, she's whip-smart, she's making you laugh but she's also making you think. If you are put off by her writing style, please just give it til page 50. If she doesn't grab you by then, give up. But give her a fair chance to get her hooks into you. She might surprise you - in a good way. I personally found the book both hilarious and enlightening, and I'm a pretty harsh judge of books - as you probably know by now.
I'll end with Robinson's thoughts on harassment, which I thought were on-point:
"What's the situation?" he asked. I assumed he was asking about the party and he corrected me: "No, what's the situation... down there?"
"Excuse me?"
He looked down at my crotch and raised his eyebrows.
I was pissed off, but I didn't want to cause a scene, so I simply told him what he was doing was disgusting and to knock it off.
"Oh, come on," he started. "It's not like we're colleagues or anything." Oh, hell no! Because I was a newbie comic and not on the same level as him professionally, it was totally fine in his eyes to sexually harass me. Screw that! You should respect me whether this is my first day in stand-up or I'm a legend like Wanda Sykes. I stood my ground, he backed off, and I never talked to him again, and thanks to us being at different stages of our careers, we were never really on the same shows much after that.
Until a few years later, when I arrived early to a gig and saw that Richard was also on the lineup. Seeing his name caused that uncomfortable moment to come rushing back to me. FUCK. I tried to keep my cool. All the comics on the show eventually trickled in one by one and were greeting each other with hugs. Then he appeared. I didn't know what to do, as I was sure he didn't remember what he said to me all those years ago. So I did what a lot of women are conditioned to do: I thought about the situation from every possible angle, considered what his feelings might be if I acted a certain way, and then decided his comfort was more important than mine. I hugged him and said it was good to see him. It wasn't. It sucked, but I didn't want to make HIM feel weird if everyone hugged him except me, so I "took one for the team." I know, I know, but in that moment, I couldn't overpower what society had conditioned in me. I hugged him even though I didn't want to touch him, let alone be in the same room as him. His presence reminded me of when I was new on the scene and male comics would test the waters to see if they could disrespect, harass, or intimidate me. I felt small again. And that's the thing people forget about harassment's real power.
Harassment is not designed to be temporary; it's intended to stay with you, keep you in line, never allow you to fully relax and be calm. That way the perpetrator doesn't even have to do the work of oppressing you. You'll inadvertently do the work for him long after he's forgotten what he's done. So that instead of remembering how you stood up for yourself and using that memory as strength to propel yourself forward, you'll be taken back to when you felt weak. Harassment is not just about harming you that one time; it's about lingering around for every time afterwards and chipping away at you without you realizing it. 117
So. I think this book is even better than Robinson's debut You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain. It's more current, more relevant, and funnier IMO.
Which is hard to say, because I gave her first book five stars.
Robinson's genius is combining feminism and anti-racism with comedy.
I'm a feminist and it's hard for me to read feminist books. Feminist books are important and I do read them. But they make me severely depressed and usually also make me feel like I should never touch a man again. Which is ridiculous - I know some amazing men and definitely know men aren't trash - but it's like reading the newspaper.
You don't even have to be a feminist and be ingesting feminist literature to know women are hated and shat on by society. Just read the paper in the morning. Bam. I read the paper yesterday and it was just full of disgusting actions against women which had taken place. When people argue about feminism not being needed any more because women and men are equal now, I just look at them like they've grown two heads. It's SO OBVIOUS this isn't true that my head spins every time someone tells me this.
You can say the same thing about racism. But the reason people avoid educating themselves on racism and sexism is because they don't want to be depressed and they don't want to give up their comforts and they don't want to face reality. I understand. Reading feminist books and books about racism make me very depressed, too. I understand people wanting to stick their heads in the sand and pretend everything is just peachy and there are no problems anymore. I imagine it's the same urge that drives climate-change deniers.
Robinson is a genius. I've heard people take her to task because she "sugarcoats" her messages about how women and POCs are shat on in modern American society. But in fact, her way of presenting knowledge about the female experience and the non-white experience in America is GENIUS. She is a genius.
She's so funny. Parts of the book have absolutely nothing to do with sexism and racism. She talks about random stuff, music, her friends, food, working, whatever. She has you laughing out loud. Then she shifts to talking about how horrible the patriarchy is. It's not sudden, it's not jarring. It's brilliant. You're laughing and then you realize how shitty what she is describing actually is. Then you're laughing again.
People complain about Robinson's super-casual Twitter-speak which is long, rambling, filled with hashtags and random abbreviations and quite frankly a way of writing which will be indecipherable to a lot of people. I understand. I'm either too old or not "social media" enough to understand what she is talking about a lot of the time. Let's take a look:
There was Carrie Fisher (White Jesus, why?), Prince (Black Jesus, why?), George Michael (Levi Jeans Jesus, I can't), and David Bowie (Alien Jesus aka the feathers from Björk's swan dress at the 2001 Oscar ceremony < squawk, blergh, blop > - because y'all know Björk and anything in Björk's universe only communicates through sound). Oof. I don't know about you, but I was overcome with emotion at seeing so many pop culture icons pass. Utterly devastated. Heartbroken and beside myself. So I mourned like we all did. APPROPRIATELY. Okay, I didn't, but I tried. Well, I tried the way I do when the heater in my apartment is too high and instead of getting up to adjust the thermostat, I say to no one, "It's too hot," and then unzip my onesie down to my hips so that I end up looking like a caterpillar taking a cigarette break mid-metamorph-morph aka metamorphosis. #IgnorantAbbrev #SorryForWastingYourTime. Anyhoo, I did not try very hard NOT to be utterly inappropriate mere days after Bowie's death.
When he passed, I feel down the usual internet rabbit hole many of us are wont to do when someone famous dies. I read think pieces, bought any albums I didn't already own, watched old performances on YouTube. After about forty-eight hours of this, I became an unofficial truther of Bowie's personal life, hoping that in my quest to unearth all the last unknown details about him, this busywork would distract me from the reality that we're all going to die. And since this mission was rooted in earnest and profound love for the dead, I felt like Doogie Howser at the end of Doogie Howser, M.D., just writing smart bon mots about what I'd learned. But I wasn't. My good intentions were quickly replaced by my just-below-the-surface hot mess tendencies.
About three days after Bowie died and amid a particularly wide-eyed-and-awake-at-four-in-the-morning internet hunt, I typed this into Google:
Did David Bowie have a big penis?
I know, I know, I KNOW! And it's not like I pulled up Googs's "incognito window," which wouldn't have recorded this question in my browser's history. I typed this question in the broad-as-the-Alaskan-daylight-during-midnight-sun season aka Google's regular search window, where anyone could track what I'd done. To which, Google basically responded à la Danny Glover from the Lethal Weapon franchise, "I'm too old for this shit," and then set about unsuccessfully trying to save me from my trifling ways. I started with "Did David Bowie," and before I could continue, Google countered with this auto-complete:
Did David Bowie wrote "My Way"
What in the hell kind of poor-grammar-of-a-troubled-youth-from-Dangerous-Minds voodoo is this? Can't lie, I admire the tactic, but this search engine knew not who they were messing with. In my twenties, I once had a girls' sleepover and made us watch Showgirls. Then we went to bed, and when we woke up, I convinced them to watch Showgirls again. Clearly, my ignorance is only matched by my determination. Googs sounding like the "Cash Me Outside, How 'Bout Dat" girl was cute, but no way was that stopping me. 4
I know some people are thinking, "Oh, I can't read a book written like this." But hear me out. I'm not well-versed in pop culture nor am I on Twitter. But if you are shaking and scratching your head, let me tell you, by page 30 I was laughing out loud. Really belly-laughing. Robinson is FUNNY. I mean, she's FUNNY. She reminds me of Erma Bombeck (I'm dating myself) in the way she can describe a situation in a way that has you in stitches. Even when Robinson is describing something completely horrifying - one example is a man who has sex with her, and then immediately after sex says to her, "There are exercises that you can do to tone up your thighs.". Things go downhill from there, but Robinson describes this scenario in such a hilarious way I was laughing hard.
That's her genius. So, this guy is an asshole and Robinson talks about a lot of male assholes in this book. She talks about getting sexually harassed, she talks about being demeaned and degraded by men she meets at parties, men she's dated, men she's slept with. She talks about how society treats women and how society treats black women and how horrifying it is. Of course, reading this it all sounds terribly depressing and like the book is a huge downer. But because Robinson coats all this with her excellent sense of humor, people can be LEARNING and LAUGHING at the same time. She is making you laugh but at the same time inside you are going, "Wow, that's fucked up. I never realized this sexist/racist reality before." It's genius.
All kidding aside, it seems after doing an informal survey with my straight girlfriends, the whole negging post-coit is commonplace. Some have been told they get "too wet" down there, take too long to come, are not thin enough to date publicly but are good enough for "sex on the DL," and one buddy of mine, who is not particularly into period sex but decided to go for it with encouragement from a guy she was dating , was told by him MIDSEX that he didn't really enjoy the way her vagina smelled while she was on her period. Are. You. Fucking. Kidding. Me?!
Unfortunately, women are all too familiar with this type of gross body-shaming; furthermore, it is behavior that, for far too long, some men have thought is perfectly acceptable. But before I get into how society has conditioned men to express all opinions, especially the hurtful ones, about women TO women, let's return to #Thighgate2010, because every lady I know - whether she is gay, straight, or anywhere on the sexuality spectrum - has self-esteem issues in part due to outside sources like Eric. And us women all respond differently. Some do work out more. Or eat more. Or starve. Or feel unworthy. 32
It would also be a mistake to brush off Robinson's intelligence, which is formidable. I think because of the way she talks (like a fifteen-year-old girl on Twitter) people might dismiss her. That would be a mistake.
After talking about some random stuff and making you laugh about, IDK, talking to your parents about sex or something, on the next page she could be laying down knowledge like she's a professor of women's studies. I mean... I've been a feminist for a long time, and I have to say Robinson knows her shit. She knows what she is talking about, and it would be a real mistake to underestimate her or think she is a lightweight or a tumblr-feminist. No, she's for real. It might be tempting to lose sight of this considering how she conveys information - how can she be a feminist when she isn't even being serious? - but in reality, it's the exact opposite. She lulls you into being amused and calm and then seeds her pages with some hard-core feminist ideas. She gives you belly laughs about her shenanigans with her best friends and then slams you with how modern racism still permeates daily life. It's very smart. It's very well-done. It's a great way to feed feminism and anti-racism to people who may be reluctant to educating themselves on those points.
She also takes on fat-shaming and spends a chapter talking about fat activism and how we can help the world be a better place for fat people. I loved this, I think it's very necessary to talk about this. Especially since she did include a rather tone-deaf comment about being fat in her previous book. Seems like she's turned around since then. I loved how she was standing up for fat rights in here as well as fighting discrimination against women and POC.
I'm talking real actual shit. Instead of being silently complicit or only speaking up half the time, I'm talking about putting dudes in their place every damn time they think they can fat-shame women who are bigger than me. I cannot tell you the amount of times I've heard men, who think they are in a "safe space" with me, reveal what they truly feel about women who don't fall within societal beauty standards. Let me just say that "disgusting," "pig," "never would I ever fuck her," and many other objectionable comments often make the rounds. 54
She's a size 10/12, and I think after putting up with a lot of shit from men, like when one said to her,
"I would never date a girl whose thighs spread when she sat down." 35
she kind of realized what horrible bullshit there is about being a fat person and the way people think they can judge and comment on women's bodies (which are never 'good enough,' even when they are 'thin') without consequence. It's a great chapter. I know people who were upset with the tiny shades of fat-shaming in the first book will be ecstatic by this turn of events.
I know I've talked a lot about the racism, feminism, and fat-hatred that Robinson tackles in this book - but there are just as many goofy moments and joking and laughs about Robinson's life and her experiences. Sometimes it can even fill you with joy. The section about her meeting her idol Bono was just the cutest thing I've ever read. So cute. She was so happy, and seeing her magical dreams come true in the most loving way possible was just so adorable and life-affirming. :D Very sweet. And she loves her parents, talks about them a lot. She has close girlfriends, watches too much tv, and always thinks whoever she's dating is The One she is going to get married to. She's very funny. It's a fun, cute book - which also educates you about the still-present desperate need for change in the way we treat others.
TL;DR Even better than You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain in my opinion. Robinson kills it in this book. She's funny, she's whip-smart, she's making you laugh but she's also making you think. If you are put off by her writing style, please just give it til page 50. If she doesn't grab you by then, give up. But give her a fair chance to get her hooks into you. She might surprise you - in a good way. I personally found the book both hilarious and enlightening, and I'm a pretty harsh judge of books - as you probably know by now.
I'll end with Robinson's thoughts on harassment, which I thought were on-point:
"What's the situation?" he asked. I assumed he was asking about the party and he corrected me: "No, what's the situation... down there?"
"Excuse me?"
He looked down at my crotch and raised his eyebrows.
I was pissed off, but I didn't want to cause a scene, so I simply told him what he was doing was disgusting and to knock it off.
"Oh, come on," he started. "It's not like we're colleagues or anything." Oh, hell no! Because I was a newbie comic and not on the same level as him professionally, it was totally fine in his eyes to sexually harass me. Screw that! You should respect me whether this is my first day in stand-up or I'm a legend like Wanda Sykes. I stood my ground, he backed off, and I never talked to him again, and thanks to us being at different stages of our careers, we were never really on the same shows much after that.
Until a few years later, when I arrived early to a gig and saw that Richard was also on the lineup. Seeing his name caused that uncomfortable moment to come rushing back to me. FUCK. I tried to keep my cool. All the comics on the show eventually trickled in one by one and were greeting each other with hugs. Then he appeared. I didn't know what to do, as I was sure he didn't remember what he said to me all those years ago. So I did what a lot of women are conditioned to do: I thought about the situation from every possible angle, considered what his feelings might be if I acted a certain way, and then decided his comfort was more important than mine. I hugged him and said it was good to see him. It wasn't. It sucked, but I didn't want to make HIM feel weird if everyone hugged him except me, so I "took one for the team." I know, I know, but in that moment, I couldn't overpower what society had conditioned in me. I hugged him even though I didn't want to touch him, let alone be in the same room as him. His presence reminded me of when I was new on the scene and male comics would test the waters to see if they could disrespect, harass, or intimidate me. I felt small again. And that's the thing people forget about harassment's real power.
Harassment is not designed to be temporary; it's intended to stay with you, keep you in line, never allow you to fully relax and be calm. That way the perpetrator doesn't even have to do the work of oppressing you. You'll inadvertently do the work for him long after he's forgotten what he's done. So that instead of remembering how you stood up for yourself and using that memory as strength to propel yourself forward, you'll be taken back to when you felt weak. Harassment is not just about harming you that one time; it's about lingering around for every time afterwards and chipping away at you without you realizing it. 117
January 13, 2019
First thing I've got to say is, my review will be pathetic. So go read Carmen's brilliant review which got me to immediately put a hold on this. I've heard of the 2 Dope Queens podcast, but never listened to it. (I may have to rectify that.) So I had to look Phoebe Robinson up when I saw Carmen's glowing review. Phoebe turns out to be from the same corner of Ohio as me, one county over, which extra sealed my having to read this book. And I'm really glad I did.
It covers a range of topics: Weight/clothing size/body image and how much energy women waste on thinking about this crap; feminism and its uneven relationship with women of color; "all the ways being a woman is ridic"; interracial dating; how to recognize non-trash moments of one's life and feel good about them; Bono; money; workaholism; being single; and . All of them are covered with a combination of very strong opinions and deeply personal experiences, conveyed with so much humor that I was laughing and snorting out loud on nearly every page even while often wanting to fume and cry at the same time. (This is similar to my reaction to Lindy West's Shrill; doing stand-up comedy has given both these women an ability to be simultaneously cutting and funny that I deeply envy.) All of her writing is sprinkled with pop culture references and little asides that just added to the depth and hilarity. (Trust me -- there's probably a reference in here for everyone, no matter your age, gender, or background.)
The first four chapters were the hardest-hitting for me. These are such powerful issues, and they never seem to get resolved or go away. (1) All women, of all sizes and ethnic backgrounds, suffer from constant judgement of our bodies, by other people, and also by ourselves. It's a constant drumbeat no matter what else is going on in our lives, and it sucks. (2) Feminism is important and has helped millions of women, but it still manages to fail entire communities by often being too narrowly focused on middle class and up, mostly white women (and straight women, and cis women to the detriment of transwomen). Phoebe makes terrific points about intersectionality, and standing up for ALL women. (3) Being a woman is totally ridic, and it's nice to be made to laugh about some of the absurdity in such a friendly, "oh-gosh-yes-me-TOO!" way. (And any men reading this -- you should absolutely read this chapter.) And (4) It is also totally ridiculous how fraught interracial dating remains in freaking 2019.
I could have lived without all the Bono fangirling; it was cute, but yawn for me. The chapters on money and workaholism felt a little too self-help-y and simplistic to me (Phoebe admits to a penchant for self-help books, and you can tell from these chapters that she's read a number of them. This just wasn't what I was reading this book for after those powerful first few chapters). But these chapters are still worth reading, and not worth knocking a star off for.
There is a well-deserved waiting list for this at my library. Phoebe is just brilliant. I'm going to read her first book now, and then tap my fingers impatiently until she comes out with another one.
Now seriously, if you haven't already read Carmen's review, go back to the top of mine, click the link, and do it!
It covers a range of topics: Weight/clothing size/body image and how much energy women waste on thinking about this crap; feminism and its uneven relationship with women of color; "all the ways being a woman is ridic"; interracial dating; how to recognize non-trash moments of one's life and feel good about them; Bono; money; workaholism; being single; and . All of them are covered with a combination of very strong opinions and deeply personal experiences, conveyed with so much humor that I was laughing and snorting out loud on nearly every page even while often wanting to fume and cry at the same time. (This is similar to my reaction to Lindy West's Shrill; doing stand-up comedy has given both these women an ability to be simultaneously cutting and funny that I deeply envy.) All of her writing is sprinkled with pop culture references and little asides that just added to the depth and hilarity. (Trust me -- there's probably a reference in here for everyone, no matter your age, gender, or background.)
The first four chapters were the hardest-hitting for me. These are such powerful issues, and they never seem to get resolved or go away. (1) All women, of all sizes and ethnic backgrounds, suffer from constant judgement of our bodies, by other people, and also by ourselves. It's a constant drumbeat no matter what else is going on in our lives, and it sucks. (2) Feminism is important and has helped millions of women, but it still manages to fail entire communities by often being too narrowly focused on middle class and up, mostly white women (and straight women, and cis women to the detriment of transwomen). Phoebe makes terrific points about intersectionality, and standing up for ALL women. (3) Being a woman is totally ridic, and it's nice to be made to laugh about some of the absurdity in such a friendly, "oh-gosh-yes-me-TOO!" way. (And any men reading this -- you should absolutely read this chapter.) And (4) It is also totally ridiculous how fraught interracial dating remains in freaking 2019.
I could have lived without all the Bono fangirling; it was cute, but yawn for me. The chapters on money and workaholism felt a little too self-help-y and simplistic to me (Phoebe admits to a penchant for self-help books, and you can tell from these chapters that she's read a number of them. This just wasn't what I was reading this book for after those powerful first few chapters). But these chapters are still worth reading, and not worth knocking a star off for.
There is a well-deserved waiting list for this at my library. Phoebe is just brilliant. I'm going to read her first book now, and then tap my fingers impatiently until she comes out with another one.
Now seriously, if you haven't already read Carmen's review, go back to the top of mine, click the link, and do it!
March 1, 2019
When a book like Robinson's debut performs as well as it does, the tendency is to get another one out ASAP, sure enough this one came out only two years later. It's not quite as good for reasons that aren't entirely Robinson's fault. One major one being that Robinson's career and visibility is pretty different than it was when she wrote her first book, and books by celebrities after massive success aren't always quite as heavy on charm as the ones before. But Robinson isn't afraid to put it all out there, especially in matters of money and career, and I expect a lot of millennials will find a lot to relate to here. (Just not the part where you become friends with Julia Roberts.)
I liked doing this on audio, which is my preferred way to read celebrity memoir. But the extra bonus of doing this book on audio is that Robinson will sometimes go off script and give you a little tangent and a big chuckle. (This goes to its biggest extreme in the "addendum" where her boyfriend also appears and the two of them rehash their early meetings and just generally make fun of each other, it's cute.) The only hitch is that this made me remember that a lot of what I like about Robinson is her spontaneity and charm and when she's on script, that doesn't always shine through as much as it could.
I liked doing this on audio, which is my preferred way to read celebrity memoir. But the extra bonus of doing this book on audio is that Robinson will sometimes go off script and give you a little tangent and a big chuckle. (This goes to its biggest extreme in the "addendum" where her boyfriend also appears and the two of them rehash their early meetings and just generally make fun of each other, it's cute.) The only hitch is that this made me remember that a lot of what I like about Robinson is her spontaneity and charm and when she's on script, that doesn't always shine through as much as it could.
December 10, 2018
This is literally the worst "book" I have ever "read"; "book" meaning "is it really a book if it's so incomprehensible that it might actually be making me illiterate in my attempt to read it?" and "read" meaning I tried on three separate occasions to get through it and the furthest I ever made was around page 18. If I could get a refund, and damages for lost time and brain cells spent on this mess, I would.
April 24, 2019
2.5 stars rounded up. This essay collection was a bit too disjointed and meandering for my tastes- it felt at times much like Robinson was just phoning it in, trying to reach a word count. Her chapter about money was probably the standout, as she made some valiant points about society. Overall, though, the overuse of hashtags and LONG rants with too little substance wound up reading like an unedited blog, and while there were parts that made me chuckle, this book was a bit disappointing and it took me much longer to finish (kept putting it down) than her last book because my attention kept wandering away (much like her points in some essays). Rounding up rather than down only because I have faith she'll do better next time. Will pass on recommending this one.
November 14, 2018
Really good read. Check out my review video by clicking the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unrfq...
October 15, 2018
Everything's Trash, But It's Okay really delivered on so many levels. Phoebe isn't afraid to go there and talk about the really trivial things to the downright TRASH! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I found myself laughing out loud, getting enraged, nodding my head in agreement, crying (yes- I cried) and screaming "Hellz Nah!". I went through a rage of emotions while reading this book and even though a lot of things are trash, Phoebe really made me feel like its okay.
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but it is clear her writing got better with her second book. The book is so topical and timely. A lot of the things she wrote about you've probably read about but she writes about it from an entirely refreshing angle. The book covers dating, feminism, finance, Phoebe meeting Bono and #BritishBae . The entire time I was reading this book I could hear Phoebe in my head which speaks to how authentic the writing is.
Everything Is Trash, but this book isn't! I definitely recommend picking this one up.
Thanks DuttonBooks!
I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, but it is clear her writing got better with her second book. The book is so topical and timely. A lot of the things she wrote about you've probably read about but she writes about it from an entirely refreshing angle. The book covers dating, feminism, finance, Phoebe meeting Bono and #BritishBae . The entire time I was reading this book I could hear Phoebe in my head which speaks to how authentic the writing is.
Everything Is Trash, but this book isn't! I definitely recommend picking this one up.
Thanks DuttonBooks!
March 14, 2019
I feel very bad for giving this a two-star review after I raved about Don't Touch My Hair, but this was just a mess. A slog. A difficult to read collection of essays written in hashtags. I almost didn't finish it, but then there would be a funny story that kept me going for another chapter. Sadly, I have to say, I am glad this is over because now I can read other things.
June 7, 2020
RATING: 3.5 STARS
2018; Penguin Group/Dutton/Plume
I like Phoebe Robinson's humour and writing. While this is well written, whether you will like this oe not depends on your humour and how open you are with other's opinion.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
2018; Penguin Group/Dutton/Plume
I like Phoebe Robinson's humour and writing. While this is well written, whether you will like this oe not depends on your humour and how open you are with other's opinion.
***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***
Read
November 4, 2018I so adored her first book, but I can’t recommend this one. Bummed because I enjoy her podcasts and body of work and preordered this book anticipating a fun, insightful read.
October 11, 2018
I read this entire book with Phoebe Robinson's voice in my head. From her deep dive into her trouble with feminism (I feel you, girl) to her deep and abiding love for Bono, Phoebe is hilarious, insightful, talented and real. She's a real person with real feeling about real things. She's not afraid to be honest.
This book is much needed in this current climate.
Also, Phoebe - Let's be friends because of many reasons, but mainly because "Ugh, but lol" is the perfect epitaph for my future gravestone as well.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the Queen Phoebe Robinson for the ARC.
This book is much needed in this current climate.
Also, Phoebe - Let's be friends because of many reasons, but mainly because "Ugh, but lol" is the perfect epitaph for my future gravestone as well.
Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the Queen Phoebe Robinson for the ARC.
January 20, 2019
#Nope. While this book as glimpses of good writing and powerful messages, most of it is a hot mess. I switched between audible and kindle version to try to get through it and both versions were tough. The hashtags are distracting. The made up words are confusing and seem gratuitous. There’s just two more letters to write, Phoebe! Finish the word.
I think this book is similar to its title. Trash. But it’s okay. There’s a few funny moments but not enough to make the book worth the purchase or time to read it.
I think this book is similar to its title. Trash. But it’s okay. There’s a few funny moments but not enough to make the book worth the purchase or time to read it.
Read
May 16, 2023Lots of funny and touching moments but also lots of needless abbreviations and hashtags and tangents that after a certain point made the book difficult to read. I'm seeing a lot of people in reviews mentioning that the audiobook was great, maybe I'll try her next one in audio.
October 29, 2018
So much better than her first book. Yo I closed Everything Is Trash, laughed, whooped and high-fived the air like she was in the room with me!!!
Phoebe Robinson is funny. Bruh, if you had asked me if I thought she was funny when I read her first book.. you would have gotten all my side-eye.. you can read my review for the first book on here.. but real talks - I have a change of heart! She has definitely upped her game with Everything Is Trash! The truth just poured out of her and it was like swimming through truth-bomb after truth-bomb sans any cheese.
I love the real-world/real-girl struggling to make it story. It’s the same in every career where you’re putting yourself out there to make a name for yourself but it’s hit with stops and starts. I love all her political commentary even tho it’s relatively stuck to one essay which I also appreciated. I love how she spoke of the complexities black women faced joining the women’s march — it’s something that I definitely went through at the time it occurred. I love how much she rode for sisters in this book.
Her obsession with Bono is hilarious, her new beau and all the tea she spilled about loneliness and money really impressed the fuck out of me. Just her ability to be candid was so inspiring. I think this she redeemed herself in Everything Is Trash and she solidified herself as a certified comedy-memoir writer.
I’ll read all of them, keep writing Pheebs!
Phoebe Robinson is funny. Bruh, if you had asked me if I thought she was funny when I read her first book.. you would have gotten all my side-eye.. you can read my review for the first book on here.. but real talks - I have a change of heart! She has definitely upped her game with Everything Is Trash! The truth just poured out of her and it was like swimming through truth-bomb after truth-bomb sans any cheese.
I love the real-world/real-girl struggling to make it story. It’s the same in every career where you’re putting yourself out there to make a name for yourself but it’s hit with stops and starts. I love all her political commentary even tho it’s relatively stuck to one essay which I also appreciated. I love how she spoke of the complexities black women faced joining the women’s march — it’s something that I definitely went through at the time it occurred. I love how much she rode for sisters in this book.
Her obsession with Bono is hilarious, her new beau and all the tea she spilled about loneliness and money really impressed the fuck out of me. Just her ability to be candid was so inspiring. I think this she redeemed herself in Everything Is Trash and she solidified herself as a certified comedy-memoir writer.
I’ll read all of them, keep writing Pheebs!
February 13, 2019
I love you, Phoebe, but sometimes I just want you to get to the point.
I really enjoyed reading Phoebe's first novel, You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain. It was insightful and funny and covered a lot of great topics like race, feminism, and Phoebe's love of U2. So I was really excited about Everything's Trash but unfortunately it was a bit of a slog. I felt any interesting point or story she was trying to make was drowned out by her endless analogies, metaphors and hashtags. Phoebe definitely writes like she talks, which translates well in her podcasts but less so in essay form. I am so sad to be giving it a two star review, however, my disappointment in this book changes nothing abut how I feel for Phoebe. I adore her so much and will continue to buy, read, listen and watch everything she does.
I really enjoyed reading Phoebe's first novel, You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain. It was insightful and funny and covered a lot of great topics like race, feminism, and Phoebe's love of U2. So I was really excited about Everything's Trash but unfortunately it was a bit of a slog. I felt any interesting point or story she was trying to make was drowned out by her endless analogies, metaphors and hashtags. Phoebe definitely writes like she talks, which translates well in her podcasts but less so in essay form. I am so sad to be giving it a two star review, however, my disappointment in this book changes nothing abut how I feel for Phoebe. I adore her so much and will continue to buy, read, listen and watch everything she does.
October 19, 2018
I have to admit I’ve never listened to “2 Dope Queens” (only because I don’t listen any podcasts), but I enjoyed Robinson’s first book You Can’t Touch My Hair, so I snatched this one up on pub day. I admire a smart, strong, funny woman who isn’t afraid to share personal stories, but will also broach important societal issues. This essay collection is a good mix. Robinson’s boisterous personality and comical narration is an entertaining audio experience.
November 2, 2018
This is solidly interesting because Phoebe is funny andnshe does a good audiobook reading. But I didn’t love it as much as her first book, except maybe the addendum, which is super sweet and adorable as she talks about how she met her bae and he chimes in as well.
January 23, 2020
I listened to the audiobook of this and I really enjoyed it. She talks really fast so sometimes it was hard to keep up, but I enjoyed her perspective. Overall, it was pretty good and worth reading.
July 5, 2019
Phoebe Robinson is excellent and just the kind of “current” voice that fits what I’m looking for. She is not only hilarious, but also makes some incredibly strong points about challenging and nuanced issues like feminism and reparations (and she does this with a type of self-deprecating humor that feels very unique).
I listened to her first book and read this one. Either way, it’s fantastic! Just read it.
I received this book free from a GoodReads giveaway! Whoo!
I listened to her first book and read this one. Either way, it’s fantastic! Just read it.
I received this book free from a GoodReads giveaway! Whoo!
January 8, 2019
I loved Phoebe's Stand up show, her podcast and even her Instagram so I thought I would love her book read by her. But in all honesty, this book is making me less of a fan. I agree with most of what she says but I find her constant, subject changes, puns and abbreviations drove me nuts and I honestly felt like I just rather not hear what she had to say if I had to keep listening to her "Trash".
At least she knows she is "Trash" and she is ok with using that as her "thing" I just realized with this book, that I can only truly love her in 15 second Instagram stories or when she shares the stage with someone else
At least she knows she is "Trash" and she is ok with using that as her "thing" I just realized with this book, that I can only truly love her in 15 second Instagram stories or when she shares the stage with someone else
March 6, 2019
Abandoned at 217. I was really enjoying it but it quickly became kind of a slog. I feel like it would have been much better by editing out some (not all) of the tangents and cutting down on the “five jokes where one would do” (to quote Roxane Gay). She has a slang word for basically every noun in existence which was charming at first but, again, got rather tiresome 200 pages in. I laughed out loud in a few spots and I really love what Phoebe Robinson has to say, but I think less would have been more in this case.
October 21, 2018
Loved the chapter on feminisms, but otherwise only okay. The first book was much better.
dnf
August 10, 2019DNF because I had to return it to my library, but I ain't even mad.
This seemed like it was finally going to be a book written by a comedian that is actually funny—and it WAS... In the beginning—but it started to feel like accidentally walking into a feminist rally. It was non-stop preaching about "you have to do this or else you're a bad person!!", and it's like oh my god shut up. Nothing against feminism, but damn did this chick become annoying as hell. I'm sure it was probably/maybe/possibly just that essay I was on, but honestly it was such a buzzkill that it completely shattered any and all motivation I had to continue listening to this before its return date.
Also I'm shocked that I haven't seen anyone talk about the writing style, because it is... Definitely something. She literally writes her essays in the same shorthand way one would write a tweet on twitter: full of slang and abbreviations and made-up shit. Doing this on twitter makes sense because of the character restriction and its casual setting, but reading it in a book—in an essay—felt a little weird to me, and gave me erges to shake my head and sigh, "gosh darn millennials," even though I am literally in a younger generation than them. So if you're a millennial you probably won't mind the writing style—might even like it—but if you're older I feel like you'll definitely hate it. As for youngins, like myself (shoutout to Gen Z), it's up in the air. Depends on how much you feed into the millennial narrative, I guess.
On a more positive note, the following is Phoebe's description of free bleeding on one's period, and I paraphrase:
Wow I wrote a more comprehensive review on a book I didn't even read than on the past few books I did read (in that I didn't even write reviews for them yet). I need to be stopped.
This seemed like it was finally going to be a book written by a comedian that is actually funny—and it WAS... In the beginning—but it started to feel like accidentally walking into a feminist rally. It was non-stop preaching about "you have to do this or else you're a bad person!!", and it's like oh my god shut up. Nothing against feminism, but damn did this chick become annoying as hell. I'm sure it was probably/maybe/possibly just that essay I was on, but honestly it was such a buzzkill that it completely shattered any and all motivation I had to continue listening to this before its return date.
Also I'm shocked that I haven't seen anyone talk about the writing style, because it is... Definitely something. She literally writes her essays in the same shorthand way one would write a tweet on twitter: full of slang and abbreviations and made-up shit. Doing this on twitter makes sense because of the character restriction and its casual setting, but reading it in a book—in an essay—felt a little weird to me, and gave me erges to shake my head and sigh, "gosh darn millennials," even though I am literally in a younger generation than them. So if you're a millennial you probably won't mind the writing style—might even like it—but if you're older I feel like you'll definitely hate it. As for youngins, like myself (shoutout to Gen Z), it's up in the air. Depends on how much you feed into the millennial narrative, I guess.
On a more positive note, the following is Phoebe's description of free bleeding on one's period, and I paraphrase:
"The world was my canvas, and my vagina was Jackson Pollock."This is probably the funniest joke I've ever heard. I laughed so hard after I heard it, and I continued to laugh every time I remembered it for at least two days. I think the reason this was so funny to me was because I keep hearing Jackson Pollock's name recently (which is the only reason I know his name and work), and so this joke felt like what it was all building up to.
Wow I wrote a more comprehensive review on a book I didn't even read than on the past few books I did read (in that I didn't even write reviews for them yet). I need to be stopped.
Please give this review a "Like" if you've made it this far, and follow me if you want more!
April 24, 2020
| Reader Fox Blog |
I really feel like Everything's Trash, But it's Okay by Phoebe Robinson just was not for me. And I really can't tell whether the book is very good because I just couldn't get past Robinosn's writing style. I've read a few reviews that suggest listening to the audiobook is better, but when it comes to the book I found that I just couldn't stand Robinson's constant asides, derailing her commentary into a long tangent about nothing in particular and nothing of import.
Ironically, the introduction to her work should have been warning enough for me that I wasn't going to like this book because it mentioned all her strange renditions of words and phrases, basically foreshadowing for the reader the ginormous mess that they would soon find themselves rifling through. I feel like a lot of Robinson's points are lost among her commentary, missing among jokes that really weren't that funny and a dense level of conversational tone that just didn't make me feel involved in the book.
Robinson's regular trailing from the point and personal unique way of writing, with the asides and the modified words were just too much for me at the end of the day and I really couldn't get past it. While I always appreciate a commentary about important topics such as these, I was far too annoyed with the writing style the entire time I was reading to really appreciate much of it.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
| Instagram | Twitter | Reader Fox Blog | Bloglovin’ | Facebook |
I really feel like Everything's Trash, But it's Okay by Phoebe Robinson just was not for me. And I really can't tell whether the book is very good because I just couldn't get past Robinosn's writing style. I've read a few reviews that suggest listening to the audiobook is better, but when it comes to the book I found that I just couldn't stand Robinson's constant asides, derailing her commentary into a long tangent about nothing in particular and nothing of import.
Ironically, the introduction to her work should have been warning enough for me that I wasn't going to like this book because it mentioned all her strange renditions of words and phrases, basically foreshadowing for the reader the ginormous mess that they would soon find themselves rifling through. I feel like a lot of Robinson's points are lost among her commentary, missing among jokes that really weren't that funny and a dense level of conversational tone that just didn't make me feel involved in the book.
Robinson's regular trailing from the point and personal unique way of writing, with the asides and the modified words were just too much for me at the end of the day and I really couldn't get past it. While I always appreciate a commentary about important topics such as these, I was far too annoyed with the writing style the entire time I was reading to really appreciate much of it.
I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
| Instagram | Twitter | Reader Fox Blog | Bloglovin’ | Facebook |
December 20, 2018
Phoebe Robinson's funny and just so relatable. I enjoyed the hell out of this one, just like I did her first book. The last chapter where she recounts how her relationship began while bantering with her boyfriend was particularly hilarious and also so cute.
February 15, 2019
HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE AUDIOBOOK. I was LOL-ing for most of my garbage commute and really appreciates Robinson's ridiculous use of language to point out garbage oppression. I love her. This book is awesome.
November 17, 2018
Hilarious. Perfect thing to read with the holidays on our heels. Holidays in retail are not great fun but reading this helps!
January 14, 2020
I really enjoyed Phoebe Robinson's first book. However this felt like reading a continuous babbling social media feed. I would recommend her other book but this just wasn't for me.
May 11, 2022
Bullet Review:
In some ways, this book was more serious than I was looking for (my life has been #HellaStressful #personally #professionally - to steal Phoebe’s style); that said, I think that makes this book far more impactful and hard-hitting than the previous book, digging into tough subjects (being black, being a woman, being a workaholic, being a person with money troubles).
In some ways, this book was more serious than I was looking for (my life has been #HellaStressful #personally #professionally - to steal Phoebe’s style); that said, I think that makes this book far more impactful and hard-hitting than the previous book, digging into tough subjects (being black, being a woman, being a workaholic, being a person with money troubles).
Displaying 1 - 30 of 973 reviews