Cover Image: The Witches Are Coming

The Witches Are Coming

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Member Reviews

I've been a fan of West's writing since "Shrill," and this essay collection turned me into more of a devotee. Her writing is so funny and smart and it makes me wish I had half her wit.

The best part of this collection is that there's such a wide breadth of topics but with an overarching theme of angry feminist (in the most affirming way ever). I kind of wish I had read this right when it came out back in 2019 because some of the examples already feel a bit dated (she never could have predicted things like January 6th or the overturning of Roe V. Wade).. It's heartbreaking to read since women's rights have devolved so much in recent times. I'd love to get more of West's insights for events that are taking place right now.

I can't wait to continue to read more of her writing down the line. We need more women like her sharing their thoughts. This collection has definitely inspired me to be even more aware of these issues (and to let everyone know that the witches are coming).

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I have previously read another book by Lindy West, and enjoyed this one just as much, I feel as though it will stand the test of time, despite some more niche references to 2016-2019. The topics are important topics that anyone should read about and gain insight on. I would recommend this to anyone looking for an awesome short essay collection!

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Really enjoyable read. Loved all the pop culture references. This is definitely one that I will be sharing with others.

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Not a huge fan. Some essays were funny, but generally, there’s nothing really new about this. Continues to be a book of essays complaining about all aspects of life for the author.

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I read this one in starts and stops but thoroughly enjoyed it and I've gone on to recommend it to others. Lovely writing that obliviously accommodated my erratic reading style at the time!

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Love, love, love this book! Funny, snarky, and completely on point! A must-read for everyone who likes truth told with some sass.

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Loved. I find Lindy West pretty reliably funny, and her essays captured a lot of my frustrations.

One of my favorite bits on successful male comedians complaining about cancel culture:
"Carolla isn't angry because he's being silenced: he's angry because he's being challenged. He's been shown the roadmap to continued relevance, and it doesn't lead straight back up his own asshole."

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Loved this book, I love Lindy West's voice and I basically can't wait for whatever else she does. I found everything in this book to be just extremely on point and a searing indictment of the general world and how awful everything is!

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Lindy West is such a strong and incisive author. Just as in her previous book, Shrill, West deftly blends comedy and criticism into a series of essays that feels timely and yet not *too* bound up in 2019/2020. Reviewing West's books feels like a search for quibbles and teasing out any vague sense of eh, despite the overall strength of her writing. The take away should be that this is a good, well written, smart and funny book.

But!
- There's the classic preaching to the choir problem. I don't know what it would like for Lindy West to write a book whose audience is going to be challenged by her essays. In this book, discussions about fatness or female white supremacy are missing, which feels like a missed opportunity to challenge some of her audience. I don't want to criticism her for not having the audience of right wing jerks, like it isn't a book for them, but I think critical essays should push their audience in some way. I didn't feel challenged at all and I don't know how many of other readers will.

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Man I LOVE Lindy West. Her writing is so funny and insightful and engaging, and like her first book <i>Shrill</i>, this one is pure gold. Of course the people who could most benefit from reading her books never will, and some may say she's just preaching to the choir, but ultimately I'm okay with that because I find she helps me to figure out how to articulate things that are on my mind and put them in a way that I can use to reach out to people around me. I will forever read anything that Lindy West writes, even if it's a grocery list on a cocktail napkin.

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I love Lindy West's writing and the topic of his book feels very timely. While I do agree with most of what West is saying, at times I had this voice asking in my head about whether she is really saying anything new or groundbreaking. It almost feels like this book was published too late, because so much of the ground that is covered here has already been covered by other equally talented writers. Topics like #MeToo, Trump, climate change and body positivity, among others, have been covered in more detail in books specifically focused on those topics, so here it at times felt like too much had been put into one book. I think I would mostly recommend this book as a good overview of all of those topics before diving into more detailed accounts.

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4 Stars (I received an e-arc from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)

I did end up listening to the audio book which took forever from my Libby app, Lindy is just so great to hear and all her sarcasm. I do feel that while this book does address and discuss the Me Too Movement, it seemed like a very small part of the book. Having recently read Catch and Kill as well as Brave, The Witches are Coming deals more regarding Lindy's personal life and more everyday people stories. I highly recommend the audio book it is great to put on while doing small tasks or just relaxing while on your phone.

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I received a copy of this book from NetGalley however I wasn't able to really get into it to finish it. I believe I didn't even get through chapter one. That said it was the Audible Daily Deal not that long ago so I went ahead and bought it.

I really enjoyed Lindy West's last book, Shrill, but this one fell flat for me. I'm glad I eventually got the audio because I love how she narrates who own books but there was just something about this that didn't click.

Could be that I was wanting more personal essays and less essays about what's been happening in the world the last five years but I really can't put my finger on specifics. Also could be that it's just not something I feel like reading at the moment, but it was short and I've been meaning to read it for months.

It's an interesting read if you're a fan of Lindy's but for me personally I preferred Shrill, which showcased more of her life and less of her thoughts on today's world problems.

Also annoyed that her chapter about Adam Sandler only focused on his comedy when he has other, more serious, roles that I think are better than his comedy styles.

I did love her chapter on Ted Bundy and the few chapters we did get about her own personal life and how they shaped who she has become.

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I absolutely LOVED West's first book, Shrill, so I was eagerly anticipating this collection of essays and was thrilled to get my hands on an egalley. West's sense of humor, brutal honesty, and smart writing had me both nodding my head in agreement and laughing from the truth of it all. For fans of Roxane Gay and well, Lindy West!

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Devoured this book on a long plane ride. Funny, so smart, and just the right combination of writing about things I agree with while adding new nuances to the issues presented.

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Another great essay collection by Linda West. Focusing on culturally relevant topics in an engaging and funny way, West is sure to get her point across. Highly recommend.

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Another great Lindy West book.. She's back to critique gender and politics, and even when she's scatching, she's still funny. Because these are essays, sometimes the analysis is a bit surface, more like her blog posts than a full book,, but it's still a good read with trademark Lindy West commentary.

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Lindy West follows up her first memoir, Shrill, with this excellent book. Her voice is clear and entertaining, and I appreciate her acknowledgement of her own privilege in certain circumstances.

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The Witches Are Coming is a collection of essays by Lindy West, some brand new, and some previously published in various online and print magazines and updated for the book. West has been around for a long time. ... The essays in The Witches Are Coming largely target sexism and misogyny in the wake of the Me Too Movement, a “grassroots awakening . . . started by activist Tarana Burke in 2006.” They do so with intelligence and with humor, and they do so while looking readers straight in the eye. West does not sugarcoat or turn the other cheek, nor does she blink or look the other way. “[T]here is . . . powerful magic,” West writes, “in . . . speaking the truth, unvarnished, about what we see, what we remember, what has been done to us by people who have assumed power and status as a birthright ... .” Read the full review at http://thecoachellareview.com/wordpress/2020/02/19/book-review-the-witches-are-coming/

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This is the first Lindy West book I've read. I love her writing style! There were a few times she had me laughing out loud. While there were a few stories I without a doubt enjoyed, I found that majority of this book was focused on cultural criticism, and felt very repetitive in topic.

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