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Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture Audiobook
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New York Times Bestseller
“This is a devastating book, heartbreaking in how familiar and relatable each story is—yet there’s power and solidarity in it, too.” — Shondaland
Edited and with an introduction by Roxane Gay, the New York Times bestselling and deeply beloved author of Bad Feminist and Hunger, this anthology of first-person essays from writers including Gabrielle Union, Brandon Taylor, and Lyz Lenz tackles rape, assault, and harassment head-on. Searing and heartbreakingly candid, this collection both reflects the world we live in and offers a call to arms insisting that “not that bad” must no longer be good enough.
In this valuable and revealing anthology, cultural critic and bestselling author Roxane Gay collects original and previously published pieces that address what it means to live in a world where women have to measure the harassment, violence, and aggression they face, and where they are “routinely second-guessed, blown off, discredited, denigrated, besmirched, belittled, patronized, mocked, shamed, gaslit, insulted, bullied” for speaking out. Contributions include essays from established and up-and-coming writers, performers, and critics, including actors Ally Sheedy and Gabrielle Union and writers Amy Jo Burns, Booker Prize-nominated Brandon Taylor, and Lyz Lenz.
Covering a wide range of topics and experiences, from an exploration of the rape epidemic embedded in the refugee crisis to first-person accounts of child molestation, this collection is often deeply personal and is always unflinchingly honest. Like Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things to Me, Not That Bad will resonate with every reader, saying “something in totality that we cannot say alone.”
Narrators include: Roxane Gay, Gabrielle Union, Ally Sheedy, Amy Jo Burns, Lyz Lenz, Claire Schwartz, Aubrey Hirsch, Jill Christman, Lynn Melnick, Brandon Taylor, Emma Smith-Stevens, A.J. McKenna, Lisa Mecham, Vanessa Mártir, xTx, Sophie Mayer, Nora Salem, V.L. Seek, Michelle Chen, Liz Rosema, Anthony Frame, Samhita Mukhopadhyay, Miriam Zoila Pérez, Zoe Medeiros, Sharisse Tracey, Stacey May Fowles, Elisabeth Fairfield Stokes, Meredith Talusan, Nicole Boyce, and Elissa Bassist.
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“Absolutely necessary reading…The audiobook version will hook you, especially when you discover howmuch emotional dimensionality each writer brings to their narration of theirown first-person essay. Some read musically, some with rage, some with astudied flatness, some with no discernible style at all, but all make theirexperiences real. Use the audiobook as a tool to push through the mostchallenging narratives, with each writer’s strength urging you into an ever-evolvingstate of empathy.”
— Paste Magazine (audio review)
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“The work is heartrending, passionate, threatening, and confusing. All are consistently speaking out of awareness and acknowledgment. To have the impact they do, the works must be narrated in different voices. Such a powerful and necessary collection!”
— AudioFile
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A Paste Magazine Pick of the 10 Best Audiobooks of 2018
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About the Authors
Roxane Gay is a New York Times bestselling author of several books and story collections. Her writing has appeared in Time, Los Angeles Times, New York Times Book Review, Nation, Rumpus, Glamour, Salon, the Wall Street Journal’s Speakeasy culture blog, Best American Mystery Stories 2014, Best American Short Stories 2012, and many others. She is the coeditor of PANK and essays editor for the Rumpus.
Cary Hite has performed in several theaters across the country as a cast member in the longest-running African American play in history, The Diary of Black Men. He also appeared in Edward II, Fences, Macbeth, Good Boys, Side Effects May Vary, and the indie feature The City Is Mine. He has voiced several projects for AudibleKids, including Souls Look Back in Wonder, From Slave Ship to Freedom Road, and Papa, Do You Love Me?
About the Narrators
Gabrielle Union is an actress, executive producer, activist, author, and a Time100 cover honoree. Her first book, We’re Going to Need More Wine: Stories That Are Funny, Complicated and True, was a New York Times bestseller. She has also written two books for children. She serves as a leader and advocate for inclusion in the entertainment industry. She is also a champion of breast health and combating sexual violence. In 2020, she relaunched her haircare brand “Flawless by Gabrielle Union” for women with textured hair. She joined Bitsy’s as a cofounder with the goal of making healthy, allergen- friendly, school-safe snacks that are accessible and affordable for all families regardless of their socioeconomic or geographical status.
Amy Jo Burns is the author of two novels and the memoir Cinderland. Her writing has appeared in Elle, Good Housekeeping, the Paris Review, and the anthology Not That Bad.
Brandon Taylor is the author of the acclaimed novel The Late Americans and of Real Life, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, and named a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice and a Science + Literature Selected Title by the National Book Foundation. His collection Filthy Animals was awarded the Story Prize and shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize. He is the 2022-2023 Mary Ellen von der Heyden Fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers. He tweets at @blgtylr, where he has 90k followers, and his newsletter can be found at: blgtylr.substack.com.
Lyz Lenz is a journalist and the author of three books. She has written for Insider, the New York Times, Marie Claire, and the Washington Post. She also writes the newsletter Men Yell at Me, about the intersection of politics and personhood in red-state America.
Aden Hakimi is a voice-over actor based in Brooklyn. He studied theater performance at Northeastern University in Boston, with adjunct studies at Cambridge University in England and the Gaiety School of Acting in Dublin. For over a decade, he has done voice work for audiobooks, commercials, animation, and corporate videos.