This is Not Chick Lit

Short stories. Edited by Elizabeth Merrick. Multiple writers including one of my favorites (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie).

I think I've read a "legitimate" chick lit book before...it was about this woman who lost a bunch of weight and moved to LA. This is not a review of that book. I frequently enjoy reading People magazine (more so, just looking at the "worst dressed" photographs). Fluff is okay sometimes.

But, a book written by a woman, especially considering fiction, is not automatically "chick lit." That should be a given. Just like a "female comedian" is a comedian. "Womens' basketball" is basketball. I digress.

The introduction in this book overviews the importance of above topic in a much more articulate manner. So, read the intro.

The first short is by Adichie titled The Thing Around Your Neck, from her collection of shorts with the same title.

This short sets the tone for a collection of rich, sometimes funny & sometimes heartbreaking stories: Like overhearing an uncomfortable phone conversation on a bus (An open letter to Doctor X by Francine Prose), going to all lengths to promote a genocidal dictator (Selling the General by Jennifer Egan), and eating incredible amounts of steak (The Seventy-two-ounce Steak Challenge by Dika Lam). Those are just a few of the 18 shorts.

This is Not Chick Lit discusses racism, sexism, love & steak (I particularly loved that story) in such a way that you will want to re-read every story.

And no, this book is not just for women.

Read away.