From “Speak Truth to Power,” about the condition of not being believed about rape and assault; to “Goliath,” about the ways evil is used as a form of social control; to “The Fallout,” about ecological and generational violence, Lacy M. Johnson creates masterful, elaborate, gorgeously written essays that speak incisively about our current era. She grapples with justice and retribution, truth and fairness, and sexual assault and workplace harassment, as well as the broadest societal wrongs: the BP Oil Spill, government malfeasance, police killings.
“This elegantly written survey of and meditation on the dynamics of power and visibility and violence and their opposites in contemporary America gives us something essential: a vision of who and where we are that’s both scathing and generous.”—Rebecca Solnit
- KBOO