Not That Bad by Roxane Gay

Ebook provided by NetGalley for review. Thank you.

Read September 2020

This is a hard book to rate. It is also kind of a hard book to read as well. Requesting this so long ago I kind of went in blind, having forgotten what it was. I went by title alone.

"Not That Bad" is a compilation of essays by people who have been through rape and sexual assault. I appreciated that there was a wide demographic of authors, male and female, cis and trans, straight and not. Also a wide variety of stories, some very detailed, others less so. There were a couple of "famous" names in Ally Sheedy and Gabrielle Union but it transpired in the end credit list that the vast majority - if not all (I don't know if the numbers matched) - were published writers in one way or another.  Was there an assumption that average "Jane/Joe" off the street wouldn't write well enough or were these essays already written and just pulled together for this book?

Regardless of how this book came to be and who should or shouldn't be included it is almost a must read - although take care if you have personal experiences and stay safe. The pervasiveness of rape, assault and harassment in society must be stopped. It is not something I have personally experience - yet, I'm only 30! - and that sadly is a rarity. Too many women have some kind of story. Men in particular: read this book, absorb it and do better. Affirmitive consent. No hooking up with drunk girls, no "harmless" groping. Just no means no.

4/5 stars

Stef Out x