570 ratings | 35 reviews | avg rating:4.09

Allison’s Year In Books

Allison’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Allison’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Allison’s 2025 Year in Books

Allison McCarthy’s Followers (32)

Allison’s Bookshelves

to-read (180)
currently-reading (25)
read (582)
did-not-finish (0)

Allison’s Friends (247)

Jen Michalski

661 books | 2,218 friends

Philip Kahn-Pauli

789 books | 79 friends

James

1,432 books | 3,984 friends

Krystal

4,982 books | 191 friends

Angie

876 books | 62 friends

Rachel Kramer Bussel

5,513 books | 1,442 friends

Holly Yingling

2,512 books | 96 friends

Mouska Mousekewitz

2,247 books | 332 friends

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Allison McCarthy

Goodreads Author

Born

in The United States

Website

http://allisonmccarthy.net

Twitter

allison_writes

Genre

Memoir, Nonfiction

Influences

Dorothy Allison, Ariel Gore, Janet Fitch, Roxane Gay, Michelle Tea, Ch ...more

Member Since

October 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/allisonmcc221

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Allison McCarthy is a writer with a focus on personal essays, intersectional feminism and social justice. Her work has been featured in print and online publications such as The Washington Post, The Guardian (U.K.), AlterNet, The Establishment, Vox, Time.com, Argot, xoJane, DAME, Autostraddle, Ravishly, The Frisky, Medium.com (“Human Parts” series), Bitch, make/shift, Ms., Girlistic, Shabby Doll House, YourTango, Hip Mama, Bustle, Global Comment, Role/Reboot, Shameless, The Feminist Wire, ColorsNW, The Baltimore Review and Hoax.

Her work has also been published in several anthologies, including Robot Hearts: True and Twisted Tales of Seeking Love in the Digital Age (Pinchback Press), Dear Sister: Letters From Survivors of Sexual Violence (AK ...more

6 posts
Allison McCarthy's Blog

It Took a Long Time

Some essays come together in a flurry of draft writing. Others take a bit longer to conceive.

My new essay, “And She Was” (Argot), took about two years to write, re-write, submit, face a few rejections, re-write some more, pitch a query, clean up the prose before hitting send… and finally find a home. It is one of the essays I’m most proud of putting out into the world.

After a few months of fussing

Combine Editions
Allison McCarthy’s books

Average rating: 4.33 · 267 ratings · 33 reviews · 4 distinct works

	Dear Sister: Letters From Survivors of Sexual Violence by Lisa Factora-Borchers (editor), Aishah Shahidah Simmons (Goodreads Author) (Introduction), Allison McCarthy (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.33 avg rating — 252 ratings — published 2013 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Robot Hearts: True and Twisted Tales of Seeking Love in the Digital Age by Cara Bruce (Editor), Shawna Kenney (Editor), Slash Coleman (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 4.14 avg rating — 7 ratings — published 2010 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Places Like Home by Ariel Gore (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Meg Weber (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Allison McCarthy (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2020	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Queer Around the World: A LGBTQ+ True Stories Anthology by Curry Kalmus (Editor), Sage Kalmus (Goodreads Author) (Editor), Allison McCarthy (Goodreads Author) (Contributor) 3.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2018 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

* Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. To add more, click here.

Allison is Currently Reading

Allison is currently reading

Disney Adults: Exploring (and Falling in Love with) a Magical Subculture

by AJ Wolfe

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Sep 13, 2025 01:50PM

Allison is currently reading

I Can Fix Her

by Rae Wilde (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jul 27, 2025 07:33PM

Allison is currently reading

The Dry Season: A Memoir of Pleasure in a Year Without Sex

by Melissa Febos (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Apr 26, 2025 05:59PM

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Allison’s Recent Updates

Allison wants to read Open Wide by Jessica Gross	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
May 05, 2026 09:24PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Open Wide by Jessica Gross. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Open Wide by Jessica Gross <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison wants to read Plum by Andy Anderegg	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 15, 2026 10:40PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Plum by Andy Anderegg. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Plum by Andy Anderegg <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison wants to read Y/N by Esther Yi	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 15, 2026 10:38PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Y/N by Esther Yi. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Y/N by Esther Yi <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison and 259 other people liked frankie's review of Icebreaker (UCMH, #1): "almost developed a strange and unsettling connection to this one and then the epilogue pissed me off so bad i wanted to scream. hockey / figure skater romance boldly written by someone not even vaguely familiar with hockey, figure skating or romance"
Apr 15, 2026 10:35PM · see review
Allison is now following frankie's reviews
Apr 15, 2026 10:32PM · like
Allison rated a book it was amazing I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream by Harlan Ellison	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 04, 2026 04:38PM · like
Allison rated a book liked it Adult Braces: Driving Myself Sane by Lindy West	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 04, 2026 04:37PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Adult Braces by Lindy West. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Adult Braces by Lindy West <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison is now following Andrea Lawlor Author of Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl
Apr 04, 2026 04:35PM · like
Allison rated a book really liked it Fragments Of Wasted Devotion by Mia Arias Tsang	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I now have a five hour playlist of all the songs referenced in this book and I'm not even sure I caught every song. This is the book I've given out as gifts to pretty much everyone in my inner queer circle and I am very excited to see what this write ...more
Apr 03, 2026 10:28PM · 1 like · like · see review
Allison wants to read I Don't Belong Here: Essays by Melissa Grunow (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Apr 02, 2026 08:19PM · like

More of Allison's books…

Allison’s Quotes

“But no, I came by these feelings honestly. And I don’t accept bitter. Wounded, yes. Traumatized, sure. Grieving, okay. Anything other than bitter. I put too much work in to be callously tossed aside as bitter. Bitter is for someone who hasn’t earned it.”
― Samantha Irby, Meaty

28 likes

“Do you know why we have the sunflowers? It’s not because Vincent van Gogh suffered. It’s because Vincent van Gogh had a brother who loved him. Through all the pain, he had a tether, a connection to the world. And that is the focus of the story we need – connection.”
― Hannah Gadsby

tags: art, art-saves, artists-life, artists-quotes, brother, connection, depression, pain, painting, van-gogh

111 likes

“Let your intention be freedom from useless suffering. Then, let go. Watch the heat of day pass into the cool night. Let go. When the karma of a relationship is done, only love remains. It’s safe. Let go. When the past has passed from you at last, let go. Then climb down and begin the rest of your life. With great joy.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love

1 likes