I love Lindy West. The way she boils down huge issues into relatable metaphors is nothing short of amazing.
West’s anger is palpable here, and that’s good! We should be angry! Terrible stuff happens every day and it seems like nobody cares!
Caring is what West is good at. She talks about how caring has become a kind of coded action: if you care, you’re not cool. But shouldn’t we care? Isn’t that a foundational creed of society? Of America? Of darn near most religions?
This is not the book to give your Trumpist aunt, but it is the book to give your vaguely SJW niece who’s just learning how to think about stuff outside of her parents’ opinions.

Lindy West continues the appealing whip-smart, snarky tone of Shrill in her newest book. I enjoyed it tremendously and will recommend it whole heartedly.

Scathing and insightful, Lindy West dissects aspects of contemporary life through a feminist lens. I devoured Shrill, and this one was just as wonderful but took me far longer to finish. It's heavy and some parts are difficult to digest. I read most of it sitting at my mechanic while waiting for my car to be fixed and avoiding the news of shootings across the country. I highly recommend you read this book somewhere more relaxing, or at the very least plant some quiet time around some of the harder chapters that center around #MeToo.

”This is a witch hunt. We’re witches, and we’re hunting you.”

God, I missed Lindy West. I mean, she didn’t go anywhere and I read Shrill only two months ago and I still haven’t seen the show and she’s written pieces for a dozen or so other media outlets, but I still miiiiiiissed her!

While Shrill was a lot of West’s own personal life, growth and realizations, The Witches Are Coming examines societal shifts more holistically and offers a ruthlessly necessary cultural critique. If her previous book was in part a crash course on the history of the internet up through the first half of 2016, we’re now taken on a trip through many generation-defining events that have taken place over the past three and a half years. The election of Donald Trump, Brexit, the #MeToo movement—these all have happened in the relatively short but also inexplicably long period since. In addressing not only these happenings, but the inevitable backlash to the backlash, Lindy West provides a thoughtful and well-reasoned examination of subjects that *still* are too discomfiting to bring up in some ‘polite company’. And she does it all with the same level of cutting humor that you’d come to expect from her work.

And, guys, it’s really REALLY funny. I was cracking up over even the chapter titles. Come on, “Ted Bundy Was Not Charming—Are You High?” That’s fucking classic; I want it embroidered on a pillow or something. And she replicates one of my favorite parts of her last book, which was the reflective look at one the idols of her youth, Howard Stern. But instead of Stern this time, she devotes entire chapters to examining the legacies of comedy legends such as Adam Sandler and Joan Rivers. Even some of the chapter titles, like “Is Adam Sandler Funny?”, would be enough provocation to set off a pack of furious fanboys to defend his honor, but I beg you all to take the time to read what she’s written. These aren’t hit pieces; the conclusions she reaches are nuanced and even the criticisms aren’t really levied at the performer personally, but at the society that shaped as well as consumed them.

Even those who weren’t #blessed with their own chapter received credit where it was due. Ricky Gervais and Louis C.K.’s contributions to comedy aren’t merely tossed aside by a changing world, but they also aren’t immune to being challenged by it. One of the funniest chapters features Gwyneth Paltrow in all her Goopiness and it’s not mocking or glowing in the way we’ve come to expect towards her, but instead is refreshingly giddy and candid. West balances comic whimsy and difficult truths with the same level of deftness as Mary Poppins, disguising the bitterness of medicine with a spoonful of sugar. It really does make it all easier to swallow.

Most chapters feature a story from West’s own life, either a hilarious anecdote or a moment of frustration, that is used as a segue into a topic of importance for her. A few are really Trojan Horses that don’t reveal their true nature until further into the piece, but some are upfront about the content for good reason. In “What Is an Abortion, Anyway?” she discusses not just her own real abortion, but her fictional one as well. Her insistence to include Shrill’s main character, Annie’s, abortion in the pilot was the same determination that birthed the #ShoutYourAbortion movement online. While not as satirical as the other essays, it’s just as sharp and truly beneficial to anyone who considers themselves pro-choice.

Real talk, I was so giggly while reading this. My Kindle copy is so full of highlighted passages that if I had done the same thing to a physical copy it would be like 65% highlighter. Her self-awareness makes her so endearing and her biting wit is funny as hell—I just thoroughly enjoyed every bit of this book. The end left me optimistic and with a sense of pending accomplishment, which, yeah, is probably unearned at this stage, but with a clear path forward. I don’t know what else to say; Lindy West left me feeling happy and gave me some hope.

Go pre-order this book. It comes out November 5th, I got an advance digital copy through NetGalley.

This book feels like catharsis, just a tiny bit of fist pumping “f@&$ yes!” In the sea of misery that is the current state of the world.


I couldn’t stop screen shoting this book, I kept highlighting, and silently fist pumping in my head. And it’s not just that Lindy West is preaching to the choir that is me, because okay sure she is, but she’s doing it with wit and humor and compassion. She’s angry, as she should be, but she’s also smart and trying to use her platform to give voice to all our fears and anxieties which are also her own and I love her for it.

There are so many quotes from this book that I internally shouted “YES!” to.

Here is just one:

“The Trump/Brexit era is a rich, famous, white, middle-aged man declaring the world to be in decline the moment he stops understanding it.”
Lindy West, “The Wiches Are Coming.”

I’ve heard men who consider themselves progressive, Who I consider friends and allies call her “shrill” without an ounce of irony.

I wish more men would read her work and the work of women like her because then they might have just the tiniest idea what it’s like for women who have spent our lives reading, hearing, and watching a vast landscape of media that wasn’t written for us.

I love Lindy West, I loved Shrill, and I loved this book too. It is very different from Shrill but my god it is so resonant and on point. Everything she said I was basically fist pumping and shouting in agreement while also being simultaneously enraged and depressed. She articulates everything so WELL, from feminism to Trump to climate change to white supremacy. She covers all of it and every single time, she puts her finger on the heart of the problem and lays it bare. And, as always, she’s funny and relatable while she does it - I laughed out loud quite a few times while reading it. Yes, with me she is preaching to the choir because she and I have extremely similar viewpoints, and yes, the biggest bummer about this book is that the people who most need to read it never will, but I don’t care. As she says, we need to say the truth over and over again until it sticks, and women SHOULD be spewing our anger, and good for her for doing it. I found the book galvanizing and I hope others do too.

In her second essay collection, West scorches Trump, Adam Sandler, South Park, internet trolls and more.

Scratch that: to call this an essay collection is an insult to Ellen Willis. I have not read Shrill (though I was charmed by the Hulu series), but it must have been better than this. West's writing is facile and undisciplined. Even in the strongest piece, a takedown of Trey Parker and Matt Stone, she can't help but misrepresent the men's views. She is clueless about pop culture, believing that, say, Weird Science is another brick in the sexism wall rather than a silly depiction of a juvenile male fantasy come true. Most irritating is her selective sensitivity; she evaluates abortion with the utmost care but twice equates stuttering with weakness, for which she can go to hell by a short road, as far as this disfluent reader is concerned.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hachette Books for the ARC in exchange for this review.

Timely, daring, important. Lindy West is back! West is sharp in her observations and had me laughing and crying in equal measure. A must read!

The writer of Shrill comes back with a response to the response of the #metoo movement. West packs a punch with her critique on the current cultural climate.

I loved the show that was based off of West's Shrill, so I decided I wanted to read more from her. There were times where I loved what she wrote, wanting to quote it to everyone I know or put the quotes on a pillow. Other times, her critique felt like one long Twitter thread or something that had already been said numerous times.

I absolutely love this book. I listened to "Shrill" as an audio book after bingeing the TV show in a weekend and loving it. When I read "The Witches Are Coming", I totally hear Lindy West's voice in my head. You can tell that she writes exactly how she thinks and speaks and it is so fun to read. This book is so important and topical right now. It is full of smart and sassy commentary and parts of it are laugh out loud hilarious. I will highly recommend this book to my friends and family. I can't wait until this comes out so I can tell everyone to read it. I'm thinking I'll need to give it a second "read" once the audio book is released.

**Received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

I devoured this in three days. That’s saying something because I’m a slow, easily distracted reader. I think my dogs were annoyed at how engrossed I was by ‘The Witches are Coming’. Lindy West’s ‘Shrill’ has been on my TBR list for a while, but as I mentioned, I’m a slow reader (and easily distracted by shiny new things at the top of my TBR). Although I hadn’t read the book version, I blasted through the first season of Shrill the television show. I was enamored with the character (and story) who felt so much of what I’ve felt in life. In this series of essays, West once again echoed my feelings with her snappy writing and clever quips. She’s hilarious. If you only read a single essay, I highly recommend the Adam Sandler chapter. I was cackling to myself, wrapped like a burrito in a blanket, and apologizing to my husband for interrupting his focused work.

I only wish to someday craft a voice as evocative as hers, as witty and fun. She balances humor and serious topics with effortlessness and I want to shove this book in the mailbox of everyone I know.. Sadly, I’m sure that those who SHOULD read this book are more likely to burn it....but I hope it’s because they’re worried that the withches are fucking coming.

Reading this in August, which has probably been one of the craziest months of the 2016 presidency in recent memory, it’s hard not to burst into hysterical, crazed, bitter laughter as you read through this. It’s a combination of a hard clear look at how we got here and an extrapolation of the idea of the “witch hunt” that some people believe they’re facing and why people are so fucking angry. It’s also a good look back at some of the stuff from our teenagerhoods (Adam Sandler, South Park most notably), and our current culture (fucking GOOP). It’s not all fire and blood though - she does end with some anecdotes about her stepdaughters and hope for the future. (And I should not need to say oh it’s not all angry feminist writing but lol irony.) Definitely pick this up when it comes out.

This was an interesting set of essays from Lindy West; however, I enjoyed Shrill more. It was nice, shorter read.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve enjoyed Lindy West’s writing since I used to read Jezebel regularly and I liked Shrill.

This book of essays was pretty good, and had some funny parts. Some of the essays seemed repetitive and I don’t feel like I really heard anything new. The essay on the Adam Sandler movies cracked me up.

This was a quick and entertaining read and I look forward to anything else Lindy West writes.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! Lindy West is an incredible writer, and I loved The Witches Are Coming. Essays on our current cultural climate, it's a feminist book that should be read by EVERYBODY.

I loved Shrill, so when I saw this was coming, I knew I had to read it. I love Lindy’s voice, her humor makes some of these upsetting topics easier to read about, and she’s accessible, nothing overly complicated or hard to follow. Reading this got me more excited to watch her show, and I’d definitely pick up anything by her in the future.

Just as terrifying, brilliant, hilarious, and motivating as I expected. I will be covering it for Book Riot in the coming weeks.

The Witches Are Coming is a collection of new and old works by Lindy West. Each chapter is organized around a central concept such as Joan Crawford and West’s view of her as a female entertainer in male-dominated Hollywood. The chapters range in terms of quality and logic. It is not necessary to read West’s previous writings to understand this collection.

While not flawless, TWAC should appeal to its target audience of the older Milennial liberal feminist. West includes many anecdotes and approaches all of her topics from a personal level rather than professional or scientific. This works with her informal style but means the material should be taken with a grain of salt. TWAC is a collection of thoughts, not an instructional guide.

The book is unfortunately lopsided; some sections flow incredibly well and are filled with passion while others feel emotionally detached.

Die-hard fans of West will notice that she has directly copy/pasted previously published works into this book, such as her Jezebel article on the Goop cookbook. It is not indicated in TWAC when these unquoted quotations are inserted (at least in the ARC).

Overall, I would recommend The Witches Are Coming for casual fans of West’s previous work or for those who want a call to arms regarding changing the current course of politics in the United States.

I love Lindy West. I'm just going to throw that out there. She is intelligent, funny, thoughtful, and no-holds barred in a way that I had always (in the early 90s) secretly hoped Roseanne Barr would be - but she's not, as we all learned and then re-learned ad nauseum (thanks, Roseanne for your groundbreaking television show, but I really wish you'd reconsider your batshit political leanings, at least). But I digress (shocker, I know).

*ahem*

Starting over. I love Lindy West. I loved Shrill, I've loved her published essays/articles, and this book is no exception. I love it too. I love a good, positive women/witches comparison.

This book has it all. It's pithy, brutal, frank, and hopeful at turns. Is Lindy angry? Undoubtedly. But you know what? So am I. And so too, should you be. The world is falling apart around us. Women are losing their rights and their autonomy left and right. So are trans folks. And POC. Who's next? And why do we keep letting it happen?

West covers feminism, abortion, climate change, misogyny, Goop, whether or not Adam Sandler is really funny, Joan Rivers, Ricky Gervais, Adam Carolla, Harvey Weinstein, the aforementioned Roseanne Barr, Gamergate, Pizzagate, toxic masculinity, gendered violence, and pretty much every other interesting (and incendiary) topic a modern human might care to explore.



My determination: 5 out of 5 arbitrary items of rating. Buy this book. And Shrill. Bask in the warm, fiery glow of Lindy gleefully lambasting the worst of the worst, and utterly refusing to apologize for it. As she should.

This book was raw, real, and powerful. Yes, at points it did feel like things we have already heard and things we are dealing with. But it was also topical and funny and just plain relatable. I loved and I feel like everyone should read it.