Talk show rebel Ziwe Fumudoh discusses her new essay collection 'Black Friend,' her immigrant parents, her plans for the future and what it's like to be feared.
On the Shelf
By Ben Philippe
Harper: 320 pages, $27
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Ben Philippe pitched “Sure, I’ll Be Your Black Friend” to publishers as a modern instruction manual on race, with subjects like “Things You Should Probably Not Say to Your Black Friend” and “Can I Touch Your Hair?” The format has been quite successful, especially in the last year, but Philippe offered a distinctive approach and a soft, funny touch, including such white-people touchstones as “Gilmore Girls” and “Game of Thrones.”
By Liza Monroy |
These days, essayist Annabelle Gurwitch (
You’re Leaving When?, Counterpoint, Apr.) appreciates writing that offers closure. “With the pandemic, everything’s taking so much longer,” she says. “It seems harder to complete tasks, but reading essays and short stories, I get that beginning, middle, and end experience.”
Personal essays in particular can offer a welcome sense of connection with the writer, say other practitioners of the form. “One of the things I miss most about having a social life is meeting a new friend, or reconnecting with an old one,” says Melissa Febos (
Girlhood, Bloomsbury, Mar.). “The best essays give me that feeling.”