Essays about how awkward life is, essays that will make you
laugh,
essays that will maybe make you feel not alone as a lady
navigating the
casual sexism that imbues every waking moment. Kelly Oxford
is a
known humorist for a reason, y'all, and she shines in WHEN
YOU FIND OUT THE WHOLE WORLD IS AGAINST YOU. The best essay,
by far, is the last one, where she explores the day she
created the
#yesallwomen moment on Twitter.
I remember that day, clearly. Professionally, I'm a
researcher and I focus
on women, religion, violence, and sexual assault. I had
heard the stories
shared on that hashtag for nearly every day of my
professional life and
was so tired of trying to convince others that they were
true. To watch
the millions of women put their pain into 140 characters
wrecked me
and energized me at the same time.
Kelly Oxford likes to blow up the internet. Whether it
is with the kind of Tweets that lead Rolling Stone to
name her one of the Funniest People on Twitter or with
pictures of her hilariously adorable family (human and
animal) or with something much more serious, like
creating the hashtag #NotOkay, where millions of women
came together to share their stories of sexual assault,
Kelly has a unique, razor-sharp perspective on modern
life. As a screen writer, professional sh*t disturber,
wife and mother of three, Kelly is about everything but
the status quo.
Perfect for anyone who ever wished David Sedaris and
Mindy Kaling would just finally write a book together
already, When You Find Out the World is Against You is
filled with the biting, wise, and laugh-out-loud insights
that have won Kelly legions of fans. Whether she’s
detailing her obsession as an eleven-year-old with going
to camp so she can become a “kissing bandit,” exploring
the bittersweet boredom that so often accompanies
parenthood, calling out the insanity of a posse of
internet poodle vigilantes, writing bracingly about the
anxiety that has plagued her as long as she can remember
or taking us to ride shotgun as she stalks her husband on
an accidental date with another man, When You Find Out
the World Is Against You is Kelly at her most honest and
disarmingly funny best. Her comedic skill, down-to-earth
voice, and bull’s-eye observations on the absurdity of
modern life mean there is nothing quite like seeing the
world through Kelly’s eyes.