An elegiac, spare, precise memoir of youth and love. Beautifully written and intelligent, though not always involving for this reader.

Reading Pham's posts feels like scrolling through a pre-Facebook post. She has the unselfconscious confidence to spill the unguarded details of her life, but she also shows far more sophisticated side. In her first essay, Pham describes herself as anescapist. She sprints under the New Haven sky, savoring the beauty of its light. In her essay "Body of Work," Pham talks about an early, immature relationship that ends in frustration and confusion. This prompts her to explore the world of BDSM, which she describes as a confusing and contradictory concept.

Throughout the book, Pham flirts with the idea that she has experienced sexual power dynamics, and that she has surrendered to her partner. She also turns her attention to women who have suffered through the pain of the world. In March, a man in Atlanta murdered six Asian women, who he saw as prostitutes. The reason he fell from God was because he saw them as his enablers.

In this essay, Pham describes her first trip to New Mexico, where she experienced clarity in the sculpted mesas. She is inspired by the sky, but she is also afraid to capture it in her artwork. She tries to escape from her mind and her relationships, but she loses all perspective. For her second residency, she stays in Taos for a week. This time, she draws inspiration from a variety of creative sources, including art, music, and video.

In her essay, she talks about an Agnes Martin painting that captures her longing for the blue of the distances. In putting it somewhere I can see, she closes that distance, and she adds a little joy. It was a catalog of intimacies, the small things that defined our relationship. It felt tautological, but it was also uplifting and intimate. In the midst of new love, it can be easy to get lost. Pop Song explores this emotion through the art of feeling. Thank you, Catapult, for the gifted copy via net galley.

A beautifully constructed memoir in essays that contains gorgeous writing, and thoughtful consideration of what lessons can be drawn from the author’s experiences. A lovely way to spend the weekend alternatively reading and Googling artworks and other writings mentioned throughout this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Counterpoint for this tremendously engaging memoir of art, sex, and life.

I had first heard of Larissa Pham through the literary anthology Kink, from earlier this year. While most of the stories fell flat for me, Pham's story, "Trust," was one of the more emotionally engaging in that book. I wanted more.

So, I was thrilled to find out that she had a book already on the schedule. That book, Pop Song, is, thankfully, absolutely terrific. Pham's weaving of memoir, art criticism, most addressed to the otherwise-unnamed "you," one of her longer-term relationships detailed in this book. Pham's art criticism, on full display with her chapter on Agnes Martin, shines, and is the strongest tie throughout Pop Song.

Strangely, for a book titled, "Pop Song," Pham's chapters on songs less penetrating, and there are definitely areas that simply ring of navel-gazing. Still, for it's weaknesses, I highly recommend this book, and will continue to seek out more writing by Pham.

Larissa Pham is a talented and insightful writer and her debut collection of essays is out in the world today!

In Pop Song, Pham explores art and intimacy as noted on the cover but this book is not simply a collection of essays, it is Pham’s courage on paper. Larissa Pham bares her soul to us through her words and poignant anecdotes. She explores art through a critical lens and uses art to examine ideas such as pain, longing, pleasure, trauma and human nature. She references various art mediums such as paint, photography and music to discuss intimacy, heartbreak and growth.

As someone who doesn’t know a lot about art, it was fascinating to read these essays. However, I will admit that the topic of art and art history might be better appreciated by those who have prior knowledge of the content or a strong interest in it.

Some of my favourite parts of this collection are the personal stories and insights from Larissa’s lived experience. She shares her vulnerability in these pages and her courage in doing so speaks to the reader. At times she writes in the second person to address a lover as she recounts her memories. This too is poetically done.

Pop Song addresses difficult topics such as abuse and assault and is handled with care.

Thank you Larissa Pham, Catapult and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

Pop Song: Adventures in Art and Intimacy absolutely delivers on the promise of its title. This is a vulnerable collection of essays exploring a range of topics, including modern art, sex, love, and identity. In this creative nonfiction memoir, Pham deftly weaves her personal narrative into reflections on the work of some of her favorite artists as she takes the reader on a journey of introspection.

While it is obvious that Pham is a talented writer who thinks deeply, feels deeply, and is brave enough to bare herself on the page - this book was a struggle for me to complete. As someone who was unfamiliar with every writer, sculpture, painter and photographer she mentioned, it was challenging to stay engaged when she was exploring connections between herself and their work. At times, it felt like I needed a degree in art or art history to truly "get" what was happening.

Throughout this book, there were moments of brilliance where she perfectly articulated an emotion or experience that I've struggled to capture in words. She's also a judicious writer who knows when less is more and how to use simple phrases to convey large topics, which I appreciate. I'm sure that others will resonate deeply with this book, but overall, it wasn't for me.



CW: sexual assault, domestic abuse, AIDs/HIV, death, grief

“There are two ways to do this. One lets in light slowly. The other is a violation.”

When I grow up I want to be able to piece words together as eloquently and wonderfully as every single sentence in this book.
What a beautiful way to spend a day, surrounding by incredible thoughts by an incredible creator.

Larissa Pham owns a piece of my heart now, I didn’t even realize I’d be signing over another part of my soul when I picked this up but I’m so grateful to have experienced it.
I absolutely cannot wait to get my hands on a physical copy.