Publishers Weekly
★ 01/22/2024
The distinctive voice of essayist Arceneaux (I Don’t Want to Die Poor) enlivens his agile latest collection. “Please Unblock Me, Toni Braxton” discusses how Arceneaux’s rising profile over the past several years has led to sometimes awkward interactions with such celebrities as Don Lemon and Kevin Hart, whom he’s written critically about. “How It Feel Outside?” strikes a more soulful tone, meditating on how talking about such mundane topics as the weather allows Arceneaux to maintain his relationship with his alcoholic father and religious mother, whom he sometimes struggles to hold more personal conversations with because they remain reluctant to acknowledge that he’s gay. In the standout “DMJ,” Arceneaux uses an annoying neighbor who frequently woke him up after getting locked out of her apartment as a springboard to interrogate the complex relationships that result from living in cities, reporting that while he bonded with two neighbors on his Harlem block who “functioned like play-aunties,” he was exhausted by the constant noise (first of neighbors fighting, then of sirens as the pandemic set in) and decided to move to California. Arceneaux’s acerbic wit sizzles (to those who questioned why he relocated to wildfire-prone L.A., he responds, “At least I have a lovely view of a burning world”), and he balances the humor with heartfelt reflection. This packs a punch. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (Mar.)
From the Publisher
"Pop-culture savant Michael Arceneaux’s essays on navigating 'geriatric millennial' anxiety were so hilariously relatable, I feverishly tore through the book in one sitting. From pandemic dating ('Now wasn’t the time to breathe around strangers') to framing Beyoncé as his 'Lord and Gyrator' as he navigates the modern-life disasters like climate change and student loan debt—Arceneaux’s sharply-observed takes are both devastating and utterly delightful." — Tia Williams, author of Seven Days in June and A Love Song for Ricki Wilde
"Very good writers have an ability to make you understand what they're feeling. But the very best writers have an ability to make you understand what you're feeling. And that's where Michael Arceneaux sits, and that's what he does in this new book. It's like he's crawling around inside your head opening file cabinets and telling you what the gibberish you've scribbled on each page in each file means. What a great, fun read." — Shea Serrano, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Arceneaux’s acerbic wit sizzles (to those who questioned why he relocated to wildfire-prone L.A., he responds, 'At least I have a lovely view of a burning world'), and he balances the humor with heartfelt reflection. This packs a punch." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"His keenest and best yet, informed by the clarity of priorities that comes with making art in our era of public health disaster and racial reckoning. Arceneaux is a hilarious and brilliant analyst of culture, for whom the pandemic blurred the boundaries between personal emotional experience and entertainment. . . . [His] writing is a kind friend on the phone and his seek-and-ye-shall-find approach to pleasure and contentment is alive and contagious." — Booklist (starred review)
"Arceneaux’s latest essays are still as pointed and funny as those from his earlier books. At the same time, they also reflect the angst of a young generation forced to navigate the unprecedented new realities of a changing planet. A mordantly irreverent essay collection." — Kirkus Reviews
"Hilarious . . . I Finally Bought Some Jordans is both a corrective to, and a balm for, these troubling times, revealing a sharply funny and keen-eyed storyteller working at the height of his craft." — Write or Die
"Arceneaux’s essays have become an essential means of understanding the nature of American anxiety and hope." — Time
"Like his god, Beyoncé, Michael has a ‘Negro, Creole, and Texas Bama’ alchemy that will leave you weak with recognition, regret, and joy." — Melissa Harris-Perry
"A rebel with hot sauce in his bag." — Lena Waithe
"Arceneaux’s confident voice and unapologetic sense of humor will appeal to fans of Roxane Gay." — Publishers Weekly
"Arceneaux’s voice is insightful, witty and bold, giving us a much-needed personal narrative that challenges society to do better, as he reflects on the lessons he has learned." — The Grio
"Hysterically funny." — Vogue
"Hilarious." — Essence
"Arceneaux’s acerbic humor is reminiscent of the very best work of American humorist and author David Sedaris." — The Advocate
"Witty and wise." — Soledad O'Brien
"Heartbreaking, hilarious, unapologetic and smart." — NPR
Kirkus Reviews
2023-12-06
A bestselling author muses on reaching maturity in an era of decline and chaos.
In this follow-up to I Don’t Want To Die Poor and I Can’t Date Jesus, Arceneaux reflects on being a “geriatric” Black millennial who has survived—his trademark humor darker but more or less intact—the many upheavals of the early 21st century. One of the main disrupters he explores is the pandemic, which left him reeling from the death and disorder it brought into his life. In response, he sought normalcy however he could, even if it meant defying lockdown orders to visit his barber. Gallows humor on display, he writes, “I [got] fades to feel alive.” While the pandemic took away part of his 30s, a six-figure debt that included student loans had overwhelmed him in his 20s. His success as a writer helped get him out of debt, but racism and climate change stood in the way of achieving other goals, such as home ownership. Unless he found a house in a white neighborhood and “put pictures of white people in the house should I want to sell it,” his property would be regarded as less valuable. If he chose to settle in Los Angeles, he would be in a region vulnerable to earthquakes, flooding, and extreme drought. Arceneaux finds relief from anxiety through art, especially the music of Beyoncé, his “Lord and Gyrator.” He may be growing older in unforgiving times, but her music still reminds him that “there is so much joy and life to have, no matter the age.” Arceneaux’s latest essays are still as pointed and funny as those from his earlier books. At the same time, they also reflect the angst of a young generation forced to navigate the unprecedented new realities of a changing planet.
A mordantly irreverent essay collection.
