I thoroughly enjoyed Samantha Irby’s books Meaty and We’re Never Meeting in real life. So I was pretty excited to read her latest collection of essays Wow, No Thank You.
Did this latest release excite me and delight me as much as Ms. Irby’s previous two books?
Well, read on.
Things have changed for Irby since we last visited her. She’s now married and she and her wife live in domestic bliss in Michigan.
And professionally, Irby is smoking hot. Her first book was optioned by Abbi Jacobson of the tv show Broad City ( though it never got picked up). And Lindy West from Hulu’s Shrill, brought Irby on to write for the show.
In Wow, Irby opens up about influencers and their expensive eye cream. She opines on “young people”-she just turned forty- are always on their phones. She tells us the long journey it took to get her first book, Meaty, published. And she also gives a glimpse of what it’s like to be in Hollywood, at the writers’ table penning scripts for Shrill.
Irby also covers familiar territory, her health issues and less than ideal childhood.
And shook my head every time Irby mentioned getting mistaken for Roxane Gay. Hmm, two black women, both excellent writers, but completely different people!
Though i found some of the essays to be funny and entertaining, I had a feeling that this book wasn’t quite what I wanted to read. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then it hit me. Irby’s self-deprecating shtick was a bit tiresome. MS. Irby you are a successful writer and happily married. Own it!
Hmm…perhaps that will be the next book.