Nonfiction
Alexander Chee

This collection of essays singularly confronts the messy work of untangling identity and putting it back together. It is about appearances and aspirations, the growth that accompanies pain. Ranging in subject matter from a writing life, reading tarot cards to dressing in drag, Chee writes with a compassionate voice transfixed by beauty. (For writers, the last scene of "The Writing Life" will make you cry. I'll point you to this essay if you are looking for inspiration.) - Drew