This novel, while written about music and culture, covers lots of ground regarding systemic racism in America.

While discussing two artists Moose and Scoota he states how they "both recounted experiences with the juvenile justice system—a system created by the State of Maryland, which allocated more funds in Baltimore City to the creation of youth jails than public schools". This is just one example of what is meant by systemic racism.

He goes on to describe "the Baltimore that exists today, the one I grew up in, and the one my parents grew up in are largely similar...domestic steel manufacturing declined rapidly, and, as a result... Bethlehem Steel slowed production, reducing its workforce. Blockbusting—the practice of scaring white people into selling their homes by inspiring fear of other races moving in so the property can, then, be sold for more to the new non-white buyers—became prevalent... the Inner Harbor was a postindustrial wasteland... Those challenges came to a boiling point during my upbringing in the nineties and 2000s, a time when the city was dealing with further divestment in Black communities... the number of children from my generation with hazardous levels of lead poisoning in their systems from toxic paint chips was staggering; our rate of violence always flirted with being the nation's top... In the last decade, while making headlines for having one of the more corrupt police forces in the country, Baltimore has experienced unprecedented levels of murder... all while city officials attempt to accelerate the prospects of gentrification."

"Few homegrown companies in Baltimore can employ enough people to turn the tide. One exception is Under Armour, which unabashedly supports the local police department and has displaced drives of longtime residents to build a corporate oasis, while simultaneously leaning on the city's Black youth to give it cultural legitimacy as a lifestyle brand."

It is plainly obvious to anyone with any sense that America has risen to it's place in the world through systemic racism, by using and abusing people of colour in almost every way possible.

There is so much in this book about music and how it gives a sense of belonging when the powers that be seem to be doing everything they can to hold them down and push them out. But it also gives them a global voice to speak out about the injustices that are continuously happening all around them.

He finishes with one last essay titled Salutations where he writes " Love to the people of Gaza and the West Bank and the Congo and Haiti and Sudan. People whose public executions—being burned alive, their children shot at point-blank range, their only remaining hospitals burned, and their access to nutritional sustenance denied—have been put on Main Street for us all to see, though many will still pretend that they don't see what's in front of them. Instead, they try to find ways to both-sides the situation when, really, it's one side, which is the side of humanity and the side of decency and the side of not displacing people because you have a passionate bloodlust for domination."

The US is known for maligning BIPOC individuals and groups as being violent, but as this selection of essays makes abundantly clear is that they are simply trying to survive in a world where the system is rigged for them to fail, where they are made the scapegoats of the true violent individuals—the white powers that be— who will do and say anything in the pursuit of domination.

Thanks @NetGalley and @AtriaBooks for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I DNF'd this book about 30% in. I liked the writing a lot but just couldn't lock into the insights. I have been struggling with memoirs a lot recently, and will maybe revisit this one when I feel more interested in the form.

i loved this! very beautiful, deeply personal, but also relatable to a broader population, which takes talent to manage. deals with topics of addiction, society, growing up, and being black in the United States. please pick this up if those topics interest you! you won't be disappointed.

Really enjoyed this more than I expected as I usually do not read nonfiction/essays but a personal goal of mine this year was to expand into new genres and I’m very glad I chose to read this one.
Honest collection of essays that read like a memoir. I have my favorites from this collection, but even the ones that don’t stand out as much were enriching and felt true to self. A real look into life growing up in Baltimore to exploring roots in Lagos through music. If Burney has further published work, I will definitely pick up.

No Sense in Wishing is a thoughtful, layered collections of essays that combines anecdotes about Lawrence Burney's life and relationship to Baltimore with analysis of music and culture. I recommend reading this while playing the songs he mentions. I really enjoyed learning about him and reading what he had to say.

A terrific range of essays--to be savored. Burney's writing is assured, elegant, informative, with an allusive charm that draws you in.

Music and memory. These terrific essays are evocative of a time and place that will resonate even with those who did not grow up in Baltimore or who, like me, grew up in a different Baltimore from Burney's.. That's the thing, though about Baltimore. There are different neighborhoods but an overarching unity that's always surprising when it pops up. It's more than the crabs, although that essay made me smile. And this is about more than Baltimore. It's coming of age, it's music that runs through life, it's many things. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'd not heard of Burney and I likely would not have picked this up without the prompt from the publisher. That would have been a mistake. It's terrific.

Lawrence Burney's exhilarating and deeply personal essay collection, "No Sense in Wishing," deftly weaves together cultural critique, memoir, and travelogue.

Burney's writing is insightful, candid, and honest, and his exploration of music, identity, and family is full of emotional depth. The way Burney ties together personal anecdotes with broader cultural discussions about the music scenes in Lagos and Johannesburg, or stories of growing up in Baltimore, makes for a thought-provoking and enjoyable read.

What stands out most is how effortlessly Burney balances storytelling with analysis. He makes each essay feel like a piece of a larger narrative, whether reflecting on the impact of his family relationships or analyzing how Black Americans are able to connect with African music. Rather than just feeling like a collection of random thoughts, these essays build on each other, giving readers a deeper understanding of the author’s life journey.

"No Sense in Wishing" is a fantastic debut that blends intimate reflection and cultural commentary for an incredibly engaging read.

Pre-Read Notes:

I like essays and essays collections and I particularly like them if they're written by people who have something to teach me about the life I don't live. I find essay collections to be these wonderful little doorways into the writer's worlds. Looking forward to this one!

Final Review

(thoughts & recs) I really enjoyed these essays, I learned so much about Rap music that I didn't know and I really felt Burney's sense of being out of place as he traveled around, looking for himself and his reason for living.

These essays are beautifully written and contain some compelling discussions about music and safety. I recommend this collection to readers of nonfiction, memoir, and essays, and fans of Rap music and its history, and discussions of racism in the US.

Favorite Essays:
1. "Salutations"
2. "My King, My Father"
3. "Bruised" and "The Exchange"

A word about the essays:

1. "Introduction" - All the changes laid out here won’t be flowery and neatly concluded with happy endings. Though they do take place, happy endings are not common in the human experience. I want to be reflective of that universal truth. p14 I like realism so much.

2. "A Very Precious Time" “This ya mother? Miss Vickie? Damn, that’s hard,” my homegirl Jasmine reacted. Others responded similarly, and throughout that day I periodically thought to myself, Damn, I guess my mother is kinda cool. p25 I love writers who write so realistically about family.

3. "Glory" - We met in middle school one day when he complimented me on my olive-green leather Phat Farm varsity jacket with the red wool lettering, and, through small talk (and further verification from our mothers), we realized we were kin. My great-grandmother and his grandmother were siblings, both branches of our rural Virginia family tree that split and headed one state up, only occasionally intersecting. p29 I have never once had an experience like this and I think it's just so beautiful and meaningful!

4. "My King, My Father" - On each play, I sounded it out: LU-CI-FAH! YOU’RE MY KIIIING! YOU’RE MY FA-THAH! The brother from earlier appeared to be correct in his assessment. “Fuck,” I said to myself. “I can’t listen to these niggas no more. They worshipping the devil.” I remember rumors like this going around in the 90s when I was growing up. I remember the Tupac conspiracy theory at the time of his murder, which Burney brings up. Such a great topic.

5. "A Love Letter to Steamed Crabs Piled on a Newspaper" - p43 This title is so fantastic. Stories about food that explore more than what we eat, but how we eat it and why-- these are the food stories I like.

6. "Two Pillars" - I wept in anticipation of the dark cloud that, in response to the loss, was forming above us. Some tears that night came from a selfish place —having to accept that my hopes for this musical movement hitting the world stage were at the risk of expiring. p75 Gorgeous descriptions of a time long past but still rippling outward into our culture and emotions. This is an incredibly sad essay, and it feels only inches away.

7. "Revisiting Ramona" - The Baltimore that exists today, the one I grew up in, and the one my parents grew up in are largely similar, which is to say that, for the greater part of five decades now, the city has been perpetually pulling itself out of a hole, trying to make good on the expired promise of becoming a great American metropolis. p80 An unblinking look at a city.

8. "Fake Different" - A great piece about the desire to both blend in and stand out. Young creatives, more than anything, need to be told yes to their ideas, not inundated with hindsight-driven advice. p106

9. "Good Government Job" - A great piece about work and careers and the choices we make to get to where we're going.

10. "Mr. Mooney and the Complexion for the Protection" - I traveled on my own dime, to prove I was dedicated to getting stories by any means and to potentially convince editors that I might be someone they’d want to bring on for more consistent assignments. p111 It's hard and it takes hustle to break into professional writing.

11. "Bruised" - An intense, beautiful, and agonizing piece on the sacrifices parents make to make the money.

12. "The Exchange" - A brilliant story about parenting in a hard world.

13. "Welcome Home" - When we found the entrance, we were greeted by a young man and a woman who asked whom we were there to see and gestured to the staircase behind them. It was sketchy but in the most delightful way, like we were seconds away from walking into a sex party or an underground gambling ring. p155 Gorgeous descriptions drew me in and kept me there.

14. "Time is Very Precious" - n.a.

15. "MIKE'S WORLD" - We’re all suffering, even those of us who refuse to say so. Perhaps the hope is that the constant onslaught of misery will somehow miraculously vanish. I suspect that won’t be the case. And since it won’t be the case, we are, more than at any other point my memory can produce, in desperate need of our community . Even when sulking feels like the easier option. p179

16. "Salutations" - This is my favorite piece, beautiful and nostalgic.


Notes:
1. content notes: violence against Black people, gaslighting, shootings, murder

Thank you to the author Lawrence Burney, publishers Atria Books, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of NO SENSE IN WISHING. All views are mine.

Honest and raw. Unafraid to be vulnerable. Good writing and Mr. Burney has a bright future.He shares his thoughts that seemingly, one of his age group wouldn’t want to disclose, but he puts it out there. Reminds me a little of D. Watkins, which of course is high praise. I’ll be keeping my eyes on Mr. Burney. Thanks to Netgalley and Atria books for an advanced DRC. Book drops July 08, 2025

I haven’t read anything quite like this book of essays. A mix of music, memoir and reflection, Lawrence Burney has a lot of power in his words.

I was really taken by his music writing in this book. We’re of similar ages but he is much more steeped in Baltimore and other cool music scenes - something I don’t know a lot about. I also truly enjoyed his way of talking about not only his memories but his regrets and feelings about his life. It all felt very human & relatable.

I think although I am very dissimilar from the author, I truly loved this book because his words were able to weave together a portrait of a very interesting and important life (so far). I definitely will be seeking out his other writing, and appreciate the ability to read an ARC of this book. I highly recommend.

What a sweeping, heartfelt and intellectually stimulating ode to Baltimore. Lawrence Burney conveys his love for his city through the lens of his experiences with different artists, and it is really powerful, eye-opening, and ultimately also informative to me as a person who’s not from Baltimore. I loved how the timeline jumped around, not only because it felt somehow emblematic of the eclecticism and diversity of the city itself but also because it was a book that I could pick up, read as little or as much as I had time and focus for, and circle back to when I had another window to dedicate some time to it. As a parent of three kiddos, that is a huge win! I truly feel like you could open the book to any chapter and read it and still understand the author, his family, the cultural icons he’s remembering encounters with, and the power of the city itself, and that is remarkable!

I loved No Sense in Wishing and feel like I will re-read this sweet collection of essays sooner rather than later. It’s part memoir, part cultural analysis, part essay, and almost poetic in its prose. I can’t wait to gift Burney’s work to all of the music, literature, and book lovers in my life. I don’t think anyone WON’T enjoy and get some meaning out of this book!

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for sharing this e-arc with me. This will end up being one of my favorite reads of 2025 for sure.

4 stars

Frequently, I come to a personal essay collection/memoir because I already have a solid working knowledge of the author. In this case, the collection came to me, and I had no incoming knowledge of the author. I'm so glad that I got to read this and now hope to read much more from Burney.

This collection includes personal experiences with travel, food, relationships, and music, which for me was the standout. Burney connects experiences to their deeper meanings and also does a particularly adept job of pointing out the ways in which we use cultural touch points to understand our identities and each other.

As noted, Burney is new to me but is so accessible and readable that I felt I could jump right in. This is a testament to the author's skill, audience awareness, and general relatability. I'll recommend this widely because I think so many folks of all levels of experience will connect with this perspective.

No Sense of Wishing by Lawrence Burney contains insights and stories that will appeal to everyone, but readers with an interest in music (particularly Black hip-hop and rap) will get the most out of this collection.

Lawrence Burney is a Black music and culture critic based in Baltimore, Maryland. In each essay in this collection, he focuses on a piece of artistic media that influenced his life and worldview. Burney mentions in the introduction that he wants the essay collection to feel like a conversation with a friend—a bid for authentic connection. In this aim he is successful. His forthright self-reflection is humble and casually vulnerable, and his enthusiasm for his community and the media he discusses is infectious. I found myself most engaged when he ties his artistic discussions to his personal experiences and reflections on masculinity, Blackness, and racism. His music geek takes over more in some essays than others; as someone with little musical interest in general, much less the genre of music he covers, I tended to glaze over a bit during these sections. Some of the essays are stronger than others in their analysis and conclusion.

I found much to gain out of the reading experience, and I would recommend this book to a general audience, but I recommend reading with a streaming service in-hand to look up the songs and artists he references. This book is a must-read for people into hip-hop, rap, and Black music.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was an honest and raw book that I will be thinking about for a very long time. An incredible memoir that examines the power of music in culture.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley

I should note that I hadn’t heard of every musician that Burney mentions in this essay collection, so I will not be commenting on most of the music criticism in this book.

I’m not quite sure why I accepted the invitation to read a digital ARC of this book. Maybe because it is largely about Baltimore, and the more I can see Baltimore that is a lens that is not Homicide or the Wire, the better.
While some of the essays are focused on music criticism, all the essay carry a strong memoir flavor to it. His essay about fatherhood and coming to terms with step-parents was particularly moving, and did what it set out to do – make me want to see a movie.
What comes across quite strongly, beside the love Burney has for his daughter and family, is how much Burney loves Baltimore. He writes about various aspects of the city – including crabs. In many ways, the essays are a love letter to his city.
There also is a good look at the beef between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, which reading after the Superbowl Half Time show adds another layer to Lamar’s performance. More importantly though, Burney writes of growing up and the feeling of not fitting in – either in your own skin or with those around you.
The best essay is the one that is a book review of Tha Bloc, which expands the love of the city to the various artists, largely unsung outside of the city, as well.

Lawrence Burney’s "No Sense in Wishing" is a lively, heartfelt essay collection about the city of Baltimore and what it means to belong. Burney, a local journalist and founder of True Laurels magazine, writes about his own life and the people around him—family, friends, neighbours—using Baltimore as both setting and subject.

Instead of telling one story, the book jumps between personal memories, reflections on music and art, and honest looks at the city’s struggles and strengths. Burney’s style is direct and warm, mixing sharp observations with real emotion. He’s especially good at making readers care about overlooked people and places.

I love Burney’s honesty and his ability to tie his own experiences to bigger ideas about race, art, and community. The only real downside is that the book’s essay format can feel a little scattered, but it fits the messy, vibrant spirit of Baltimore.

If you like essays about identity, culture, or just want to see a city through a new lens, this is worth your time.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

I think this will end of being one of my top reads of the year. I knew I would love it, but I didn't realize how much I would LOVE it.

This was a wonderful collection of essays that also read like a memoir journeying Burney's life in Baltimore, but also his experiences in places like New York, South Africa, and Nigeria. These stories felt very introspective and thought provoking. and it was so great reading Burney's stories as grew up and the ways in which his mindset on life grew overtime. I especially loved this book because I grew up in the Baltimore area myself, so reading his stories felt so nostalgic and relatable. It's always a joy for me to read a book and be like "yes I know what they're talking about!" and even think back to moments and memories too. I also loved all the stories connecting to music (which was most of them LOL.) It was a bonus when essays brought music and Baltimore together.

I loved the picture that Burney painted of Baltimore as well. Although it is not without flaws, it is truly a great city with so much character and culture.I think that by reading a book like this one people could see really see that.

I think if you're from Baltimore (or even the DMV) you will really enjoy this book. I think that if you are from neither of these places you will still really enjoy this book.

Thank you so much to Atria for this e-arc.

Thank you so much to Lawrence Burney and Netgalley for sending over the advanced reader copy!

This essay collection made me discover my love for a new literary genre. Burney’s cultural critiques and ideas framed through snapshots into his life were truly impactful, and wonderfully written.

I eagerly await his future writing projects, and again appreciate the ARC offer!

This book is the beautiful journey of Lawrence Burney's experience growing up in Baltimore.

I loved the thread of music throughout his essays and rawness he brings to his life situations.