NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “From The New Yorker’s beloved cultural critic comes a bold, unflinching collection of essays about self-deception, examining everything from scammer culture to reality television.”—Esquire Book Club Pick for Now Read This, from PBS NewsHour and The New York Times • “A whip-smart, challenging book.”—Zadie Smith • “Jia Tolentino could be the Joan Didion of our time.”—Vulture FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE’S JOHN LEONARD PRIZE FOR BEST FIRST BOOK • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY AND HARVARD CRIMSON AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • Time • Chicago Tribune • The Washington Post • NPR • Variety • Esquire • Vox • Elle • Glamour • GQ • Good Housekeeping • The Paris Review • Paste • Town & Country • BookPage • Kirkus Reviews • BookRiot • Shelf Awareness Jia Tolentino is a peerless voice of her generation, tackling the conflicts, contradictions, and sea changes that define us and our time. Now, in this dazzling collection of nine entirely original essays, written with a rare combination of give and sharpness, wit and fearlessness, she delves into the forces that warp our vision, demonstrating an unparalleled stylistic potency and critical dexterity. Trick Mirror is an enlightening, unforgettable trip through the river of self-delusion that surges just beneath the surface of our lives. This is a book about the incentives that shape us, and about how hard it is to see ourselves clearly through a culture that revolves around the self. In each essay, Tolentino writes about a cultural prism: the rise of the nightmare social internet; the advent of scamming as the definitive millennial ethos; the literary heroine’s journey from brave to blank to bitter; the punitive dream of optimization, which insists that everything, including our bodies, should become more efficient and beautiful until we die. Gleaming with Tolentino’s sense of humor and capacity to elucidate the impossibly complex in an instant, and marked by her desire to treat the reader with profound honesty, Trick Mirror is an instant classic of the worst decade yet. FINALIST FOR THE PEN/DIAMONSTEIN-SPIELVOGEL AWARD FOR THE ART OF THE ESSAY
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About the author
Jia Tolentino
Author
Jia Angeli Carla Tolentino is an American writer and editor. A staff writer for The New Yorker, she previously worked as deputy editor of Jezebel and a contributing editor at The Hairpin. Her writing has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine and Pitchfork. In 2019, her collected essays were published as Trick Mirror: Reflections on Self-Delusion.
Trick Mirror
by Jia Tolentino
Books Like Trick Mirror
If you're looking for books similar to Trick Mirror, here are some recommendations based on themes, tone, and narrative style.
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A seminal collection of essays exploring the cultural and personal landscape of 1960s and 1970s America. Didion offers razor-sharp observations about societal shifts, personal identity, and the complex inner workings of contemporary life. Her distinctive style dissects cultural phenomena with remarkable insight and precision. The book captures the disorientation and fragmentation of modern experience, much like Tolentino's work. A landmark text in personal and cultural criticism.
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A groundbreaking collection of essays capturing the social and cultural upheaval of the 1960s. Didion's penetrating observations explore the disintegration of traditional American narratives and the emerging counterculture. Her writing style is both intimate and analytical, revealing deeper truths about societal transformations. The book shares Tolentino's commitment to examining cultural shifts with remarkable clarity and insight. A definitive work of personal journalism.
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A groundbreaking investigation into medical ethics, race, and scientific exploitation. Skloot uncovers the story of Henrietta Lacks, whose cells revolutionized medical research without her consent. The book explores complex intersections of science, race, and personal identity. Like Tolentino, it reveals systemic inequalities through meticulous research and compelling storytelling. A profound examination of individual experience within larger social structures.
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A powerful collection addressing gender dynamics, systemic inequality, and women's experiences. Solnit's essays combine personal narrative with sharp social critique, challenging patriarchal assumptions. Her writing exposes underlying power structures with wit and intellectual rigor. Similar to Tolentino, she deconstructs cultural narratives with remarkable insight. A groundbreaking exploration of gender, power, and contemporary social dynamics.
The Argonauts
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A genre-defying exploration of love, identity, and personal transformation. Nelson blends memoir, theory, and philosophical reflection to examine intimate experiences of gender and relationships. Her writing challenges traditional narrative boundaries, much like Tolentino's approach. The book offers a deeply personal yet intellectually rigorous examination of contemporary identity. A groundbreaking work of personal and cultural criticism.
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A profound collection of essays investigating pain, vulnerability, and human connection. Jamison explores complex emotional landscapes with remarkable psychological depth. Her writing examines personal experiences as windows into broader social dynamics. Like Tolentino, she combines personal narrative with cultural criticism. The book offers intimate insights into contemporary human experience and emotional complexity.
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A powerful collection examining race, gender, and social dynamics through personal and academic lenses. Cottom offers incisive cultural criticism that challenges dominant narratives about identity and power. Her writing combines scholarly analysis with personal experience, revealing complex social mechanisms. Similar to Tolentino, she deconstructs contemporary cultural phenomena with wit and intellectual depth. A transformative exploration of marginalization and resilience.
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An experimental exploration of color, emotion, and personal experience. Nelson uses blue as a lens to examine love, loss, and philosophical inquiry. Her writing challenges traditional narrative structures, offering a unique perspective on human experience. Like Tolentino, she combines personal reflection with broader cultural analysis. A poetic and intellectually rigorous meditation on perception and emotion.
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A provocative collection of essays examining feminism, pop culture, and personal experience. Gay explores the complexities of identity, race, and gender with humor and vulnerability. Her writing challenges simplistic narratives and embraces nuanced perspectives on contemporary social issues. Like Tolentino, she dissects cultural phenomena with wit and critical intelligence. The book offers a deeply personal yet analytically sharp examination of modern life.
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A powerful memoir exploring mental illness, identity, and medical experience. Wang offers intimate insights into living with mental health challenges, challenging societal misconceptions. Her writing combines personal narrative with scholarly research, similar to Tolentino's approach. The book reveals complex human experiences within larger social contexts. A profound examination of vulnerability and resilience.
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An exploration of resistance against the attention economy and digital capitalism. Odell examines how modern technology and productivity culture reshape human experience and perception. Her book offers a nuanced critique of contemporary social structures, similar to Tolentino's approach. The work challenges readers to reconsider their relationship with technology, work, and personal identity. A thoughtful meditation on presence and meaningful engagement.
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A memoir exploring technology culture and Silicon Valley's social dynamics. Wiener offers an insider's critique of tech industry culture and its broader societal implications. Her writing reveals the personal experiences underlying technological transformation. Like Tolentino, she examines contemporary cultural phenomena with wit and critical intelligence. A nuanced exploration of work, identity, and technological change.
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A raw, unflinching collection of personal essays exploring mental health, anxiety, and contemporary experience. Broder offers brutally honest reflections on emotional complexity and digital-age alienation. Her writing shares Tolentino's commitment to vulnerability and cultural critique. The book examines personal struggles as windows into broader social dynamics. A provocative exploration of millennial emotional landscapes.
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