Let’s be real: the people reading this essay collection are not going to be learning anything new. The Witches Are Coming seems targeted to an audience that already lives and breathes the emotional trauma of being anything but a white cisgender straight male daily. I didn’t go into this expecting new information; I was hoping for more of a “yeah, we’re gonna light the pyres but it’ll be bras we burn at the stake!” vibe.* Like a roaring, inspiring, unapologetic call to action to rise up together against the current state of our white conservative male dominated society. Like a handbook for fighting back!

Which it sort of attempts, I guess, to be fair. It was too bogged down by bad jokes and weak references to make much of anything stick. Except for the chapter rating bad Adam Sandler movies: I remember that well, because it’s a timely and important and relevant criticism to make about what we are facing in these troubled times!

The “witches” theme was so embarrassingly shoehorned into the essays that it should’ve been dropped all together. West pulled this dated high school English class move where you close the chapter by referencing a joke or comment from somewhere else in the essay and it just made me cringe every time. The writing was so all over the place that no one chapter could just about a single issue, and that completely destroyed the flow of her arguments.

I didn’t laugh out loud (it’s the year 2019 and I’ve lost the ability to enjoy anything) but I do enjoy West’s Internet-style humor, generally. Here, the jokes were rambling and often needed editing, and there was a standout homophobic joke in the beginning that legit shocked me because she spends a lot of time criticizing that sort of behavior. This truly felt like a first draft of the book, before it landed in any editor’s inbox, because stuff like that should’ve been caught.

And for what it’s worth, my big complaint about her debut Shrill was that West talks about her husband a lot. She carries that through Witches, too, which is disappointing because I don’t read feminist books for cute anecdotes of the author’s male partner.

*I need a new bra very badly and I’m mad about it. That’s it, that’s my joke.

"Of course the kids of Trump supporters think that Priuses - which, by the way, are still mass transit-killing, fossil fuel-burning luxury items manufactured by the automotive industry, so, yes, extremely granola - are effeminate and embarrassing, virtue signaling for cucks, because waste is manly and destruction is manly and real manly men drive trucks guns bang bang toot toot truck deer beer mud truck vroom black smoke logging antlers tits fire and blood."

3.5 stars rounding up. Lindy is just so kick-a$$, I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. Her ideas are spot on and in alignment with my personal beliefs, her stories are engaging, and she's a great story teller. Plus - bonus for me! - she's my age and lives in my city so part of me thinks we'd be besties if we met in real life. My beef with this book might be more of a beef with myself - almost every chapter is comprised of a political/environmental/sexist/fat-shaming rant with some storytelling thrown in, and it made for a draining read. If I was a better person, I would have felt inspired after I finished it, but instead I just felt like I wanted to hug a puppy to make myself feel a little better.

Some of the chapters are straight up sad-face making and anger inducing from the beginning to the end. Ted Bundy Was Not Charming - Are You High? is about, well, you can probably guess: how Ted Bundy was this creepy weirdo who (literally) got away with murder (for a while, anyway) just because he's a white dude. Anger is a Weapon is about the negative connotation of feminism. But some chapters, they tricked me. Do, Make, Be, Barf started out as a humorous tale about Gweneth Paltrow and Lindy's experience going to a Goop conference... but it melded into a statement on the unrealistic beauty expectations of women. Magic Isn't Magic was heartbreaking for me to read because it started out with Lindy patting herself on the back for writing a memoir (Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman) that got turned into a Hulu television show. Wait - that's not the heartbreaking part! That's the awesome part! "Not to brag..." the chapter starts out. Lindy, you go right ahead and brag - you deserve to! The heartbreaking part is how it ends, which I won't reveal here because of spoilers.

Long Live the Port Charles Whooping Cranes was my favorite, because it ended with this glimmer of hope. In it, Lindy talks about how her step daughter was involved in creating a mural that celebrates the Black Panther Party. "I asked her if they had treated the paint somehow to make it easier to remove graffiti. "No one would tag this mural," she said. At the time of this writing, no one has." The chapter closes with her step daughter taking the mic at the dedication ceremony to announce she'll keep fighting for justice by whatever means necessary. Hey, world, there's hope in our youth!

Lindy brought her sense of humor, wit, sass, and smarts to The Witches Are Coming. And I get it, I do - we live in a effed up time and there's a lot to be sad and angry about right now. I just wish Lindy had brought a liiiiiitle bit more unicorns and rainbows to the party too.

This book of essays by Lindy West is exactly what I wanted to read right now. She calls our attention to the dangerous tropes we are living with today and how to fight for the better world that we want. Her look at internet trolls and the pervasiveness of white supremacy is particularly enlightening. My one criticism is that this book is very of this moment and I'm not sure how well it will hold up in the future. However, it was a really satisfying and empowering read.

Raw and confessional and irreverently funny, The Witches Are Coming is a tour de force that takes everything happening in our current cultural climate and holds it up to the light. As with any collection of essays there are stronger and weaker topics, but Lindy West manages to show how everything is connected in unexpected ways (such as her essay about microphones and how it ties into toxic masculinity). This book felt like sitting on your best friend's back porch on a summer night, drinking and talking about anything and everything - which is a real credit to West and her style of writing.

A special thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a free advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved parts of this book a whole lot; I agree with so many of the overarching themes, it's funny as all get out, and I thought there were a lot of beautifully stated nuggets of wisdom. But I also felt like some of the in between moments were choppy and meandering, and some of it felt like a bit of a retread. It felt like it was preaching to the choir. I'm conflicted, because I expected to unreservedly love this

Hell yeah, Lindy West. This collection of essays is incredible and full of fire—just like the rest of us in this world.

I've been a fan of Lindy West's writing ever since her time at The Stranger, and her latest book does not disappoint. 'The Witches are Coming' is brutally funny, and does not hold back at critiquing pop culture and its relation to contemporary politics. I laughed, got angry, then laughed again. Although many of the topics discussed can be disheartening and even outright terrifying, West is ultimately optimistic about the future. After finishing the book I felt recharged and ready to fight against injustice.

Lindy West is a genius. She infuses humor into the most serious current issues, so you don't feel devastated after finishing each chapter even when the harsh realities of our time are at the front of your mind.

Lindy West’s voice, writing style, wit, humor, and cutting takedowns of the BS we have to endure daily is what we all read her for. This is book is no letdown. I am one who prefers her writing style in short doses and do not always feel her 100% but I thoroughly enjoyed this and demand that you read it if you’re even thinking you should.

This critique book is HILARIOUS!! I honestly did not know what this book was about and was going based on the author's previous work. The chapters and how they are broken up are perfect and each topic is great. Be prepared for politics though and some #metoo stuff and feminism. Some chapters do seem to just go on and on, but overall a great book. Thank you for the opportunity to review read this hilarious book!

I really enjoy Lindy West’s writing; though I can see that some might be offended (simply because politics are discussed and someone HAS to be offended in a political discussion), I don’t feel the need to agree with every point to enjoy the book.

Wow, that got bitter and judgmental very quickly. Great read!

Lindy West delivers spot-on commentary regarding feminism and our modern culture. I particularly liked her descriptions of struggling with consuming pop culture that ultimately doesn't share or promote our values, particularly through not speaking out. She references Chip and Joanna Gaines as one of her examples. She also discusses the #metoo movement. Her writing is concise and elegant.

Lindy West is a hilarious writer and so skilled at telling it like it is. This book simultaneously educates the reader on current politics and entertains through personal stories. I loved her first book, "Shrill", and this is a perfect follow up, but more focused on the political climate and issues than "Shrill". I'll be buying this one in print when it's published!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of the amazing The Witches are Coming that I received in exchange for a fair and honest review.

From her stint as a writer for Jezebel to her amazing book Shrill, I’ve been a fan of Lindy West. I was so excited when I saw that The Witches are Coming was available to request from NetGalley that I smashed that request button. Later that evening, when my request was approved, it’s possible that I squeaked in delight.

The Witches are Coming did not disappoint. With West’s sharp tongue and shrewd observation, I found myself in a constant state of underlining and nodding. With passages such as: “Art has no obligation to evolve, but it has a powerful incentive to do so. Art that is static, that captures a dead moment, is nothing. It is, at best, nostalgia; at worst, it can be a blight on our sense of who we are, a shame we pack away,” West sums up the battle currently being waged in America between those who long for a more compassionate, sensitive type of entertainment and those who want only to preserve, despite the lack of merit in doing so. Making no apologies for the truth she speaks, West is a soldier with her pen.

The best piece in this collection, I think, was “Joan,” a piece that really highlights the complexities of being a female entertainer. She points out the ways in which female entertainers are pitted against each other, although she adds that it is not as bad as it was when Joan Rivers was struggling to make her way to the top. No longer can there “only be one.”

This book is a must read for anyone interested in gender, intersectional feminism, or simply pop culture. Witty and clever, West doesn’t disappoint at entertaining.

5/5

https://bibwithblog.blogspot.com/2019/08/yay-feminist-is-coming-lindy-wests.html?m=1

Lindy West follows up her excellent book Shrill, which inspired a Hulu show of the same name, with an equally strong collection that examines and excoriates the current political and social climate - Trump and toxic masculinity, climate change, racism, privilege, and our popular culture’s messages.
She writes powerfully about the need to truly face the challenges we face and not merely hide behind the lies of those who want to exploit us. Highly recommended.

An extremely topical book. So topical in fact, I feel like in a year or two it will seem dated. However, I enjoyed her point of view and insight into everything from serial killers to Trump and how we ended up here. A wonderful feminist pop culture book that I look forward to encouraging friends to read.

The brillant Lindsay west cultural commentator in her own unique.Word of mouth on this book has been raves and they were all correct.I will be recommending this book to all my friends who I know will want to read discuss reread. # netgalley #hatchettebooks

Hell yeah, Lindy West. I absolutely love West's style; her writing works for me on a level I don't even know how to talk about. Here, let me try: West writes the way I think.

Anyway, I was not wrong to be jazzed for this (but now I'm sort of sad it's over and I won't get to read it when it comes out. Ah, the perils of librarianship.).

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

Lindy West at her best–including her essay “Ted Bundy Was Not Charming–Are You High?”–and everything I needed to read, hear, digest, and think about right now.

This was goddamn incredible - a fantastic, funny, insightful <b>clapback</b> of a book. I sometimes incorporate my favorite quotes from a work in a review, but if I did that with <i>The Witches Are Coming</i>, I'd be copying and pasting the whole book. This was my first read from Lindy West, and I was astounded at how much I love her writing. She discusses serious issues here, the most pressing and infuriating issues of our moment, but couches them in brilliant and funny entryways to make them accessible and inarguable to anyone. If your politics are even 20% similar to West, you will be snapping along so hard your fingers will fall off.

She discusses how America is intensely allergic to acknowledging when things are wrong through the story of Grumpy Cat's real name or Chip and Joanna Gaines's religious affiliation. She discusses the farcicality of "witch hunts" and shaming "identity politics" by talking about a gear-swapping Facebook group her husband is a part of. She discusses online harassment, portrayals of women and abortion in media, the privilege of wellness culture, and so much more.

But most importantly, she reminds you that the world is a beautiful place worth saving, that this country is ours and that your beliefs should not be shaken by all the people trying to shake them. You should hold firm in your activism and give a big ol "f*ck you" to anyone who laughs at you, paints you as hysterical/angry/unproductive, tries to "trigger" you, harasses you, or tries to turn you standing up for what is right as the punchline to a joke.

Thank you for writing this kickass book, Lindy West - when it comes out, I am going to make all my friends and family read it. (Thanks to NetGalley and Hatchette for giving me the privilege of reading this ARC.)