Tressie McMillan Cottom’s essay collection Thick: And Other Essays, is thick in every sense of the word. This book is thick with wit and depth and intelligence as McMillan Cottom tackles black womanhood, contextualizing whiteness, beauty in a capitalist society, class mobility and much more. She eng ...more

Without a doubt the best book I have read in 2019 thus far, Thick: And Other Essays is thick with wit, intelligence, and an assured self-awareness. Tressie McMillan Cottom addresses many topics within the realm of black womanhood, including beauty standards and whiteness, ethnic differences within t ...more

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This is a really excellent collection of essays written by a black woman on issues that matter for both women and people of color. Better yet, she gives the why behind why she feels that these issues matter, and better still; I liked her wh ...more

Recently an incoherent commenter accused me of being a "typical Karen" for writing a negative review of Little Fires Everywhere, and although I'll reserve the right not to be called a Karen for disliking a tedious Jodi Picoult knockoff, the fact is that I probably am a Karen in some ways. I'm a whit ...more

I liked Thick very much and in fact there were essays here that spoke to me, for me, within me. The writing was quite affecting. Cottom is brash and intense and funny and full of facts. That's what was great about the book. Her commentary was searing and endlessly supported by facts. In this book Co ...more

Holy smart person. Tressie McMillan Cottom is an incredible writer and more importantly thinker. She is connecting dots I’ve not ever seen connected. She is amazing at writing “the turn” in these essays. Also she is narrow in focus in each essay which allows for depth and real interrogation. Also sh ...more

Gritty, smart, original, Thick is a powerful collection of essays on race and womanhood, especially Black womanhood and the many injustices heaped upon Black women.   Tressie McMillan Cottom shares intimate details of her own life and covers a broad spectrum about her thoughts on racism and white su ...more

Yooooooo Tressie! Tressie! Tressie! SIS!!! SISSSSS!

This whole book rocked my entire world and like just got all up in my feelings and my mind and honestly, it just hit me like a ton of bricks. There's so much important stuff here. I'm going to buy a copy for my sister-in-law; because I think she sh ...more

Phenomenal and beautifully done. There were definitely stories that I connected with more than others but overall this was one of the most important and impactful essay collections that I've read in a while. I would have a more extensive review; however, it's been a minute since I read it. If you wa ...more

I have only one critique of THICK: I would like more of it.

I wanted to read this book as soon as it was announced and could have read an advance copy but once I found out there was an audiobook I waited. I love authors reading their own work and after following Cottom on Twitter for a few years I kn ...more

Thick. If that isn’t an apt title for this collection than I don’t know what is, because this is a thick book. Not thick in the amount of pages, but absolutely full of relevant and necessary information. It isn’t curing cancer or solving climate change. But it is giving a voice and analytical eye t ...more

Now a Finalist for the National Book Award for Nonfiction 2019
This was dense and super interesting: Tressie McMillan Cottom, a professor of sociology and public intellectual, writes about the black female experience in postmodern America, and she offers a sharp analysis of various complex phenomena ...more

Yeah, this was just as fantastic as everyone says it is. ...more

My primary interest in requesting and reading this book was that I felt it might improve my understanding of the black female experience in the U.S., as I am always on the look for the type of works that combine personal narrative and scholarly insight, where the writer will always try to “to refine ...more

Thick is a non-fiction book that straddles the line between academic writing and memoir - something I personally really happen to enjoy. Here McMillan Cottom writes on a variety of topics, often with anecdotal evidence centered into her more academic musings.

This book both suffers and improves for m ...more

I really enjoyed this book of essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom, which gave me a glimpse into the life of Black women and opened up a bunch of engaging conversations with colleagues and friends. Cottom’s essays are accessible, thought-provoking, and full of feminist power. Her writing is witty, ofte ...more

Listening to these riveting essays narrated by the author was an enjoyable treat even though she had me thinking hard. Cottom opened the door and invited me to do some thought shifting about the injustices in our world - especially the injustices against black women. I needed this book and am ready ...more

In Thick: And Other Essays Tressie McMillan Cottom offers powerful social critique about Black exceptionalism through well-researched and well-argued personal essays that reflect on her experience as a Black, thick, Southern intellectual. As a Black woman who recognizes the privilege of her intell ...more

What can I possibly add to this conversation of how important this book? Dr. Tressie McMillan Cottom's Thick: And Other Essays should be required reading for everyone. This is such important work that dives into life for Black people, especially black womanhood. After finishing each essay I though ...more

Along the way, I have shared parts of myself, my history, and my identity to make social theory concrete. The things we touch and smell and see and experience through our senses are how stories become powerful. But I have never wanted to only tell powerfully evocative stories. I have wanted to tell ...more