567 ratings | 34 reviews | avg rating:4.10

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 (174)
currently-reading (26)
read (580)

Allison’s Friends (246)

Jen Michalski

682 books | 2,220 friends

Kevin

1,851 books | 1,614 friends

Mouska Mousekewitz

2,563 books | 332 friends

Clare K. R.

2,527 books | 136 friends

Krystal

7,542 books | 191 friends

Serena

4,714 books | 715 friends

Allie KP

692 books | 39 friends

SJ Alexander

964 books | 477 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: 4.32 · 262 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) 4.32 avg rating — 247 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

Fragments Of Wasted Devotion

by Mia Arias Tsang

bookshelves: currently-reading

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Jul 27, 2025 07:31PM

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Allison’s Recent Updates

Allison wants to read Blue Horses by Mary Oliver	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
Jan 13, 2026 03:21PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Blue Horses by Mary Oliver. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Blue Horses by Mary Oliver <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison wants to read Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy	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
Jan 13, 2026 03:20PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison wants to read Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse, #1) by Charlaine Harris (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
Jan 11, 2026 03:21AM · 1 like · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison wants to read Couplets by Maggie Millner	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
Dec 08, 2025 08:57PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Couplets by Maggie Millner. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Couplets by Maggie Millner <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison and 113 other people liked Margaret's review of All the Way to the River: "My sole motivation for finishing this book was to be able to say with maximum credibility that this was the worst book I’ve read this year. The Guardian review that called it “excruciating to read”?? Spot on! Narcissistic, self-indulgent, and, most u" Read more of this review »
Dec 01, 2025 08:06PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison and 451 other people liked Ann's review of All the Way to the River: "How does not a single review on here mention that Gilbert allegedly tried/planned to murder Rayya? https://bsky.app/profile/thelincoln.b... (Read the screenshots in the link before you comment.) Edit: Here are quotes from Gilbert's book as quoted in ht" Read more of this review »
Dec 01, 2025 08:02PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — All the Way to the River by Elizabeth Gilbert <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison wants to read I Want to Burn This Place Down: Essays – A TIME Must-Read Collection on Political Transformation and the Fractured American Dream by Maris Kreizman (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
Nov 15, 2025 03:53AM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Allison wants to read Writers & Lovers by Lily King (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
Nov 14, 2025 07:53PM · like
Allison wants to read Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke by Eric LaRocca (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
Oct 22, 2025 09:38PM · like
Allison wants to read Sink or Burn by Cristy Road Carrera	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
Oct 20, 2025 06:01AM · 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

110 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