Authority

"Stirringly precise." —Emma Alpern, Vulture

"[Chu's] book and television reviews astutely examine some of the most fraught topics of our current cultural moment in often breathtaking ways. Authority, her first book since winning the award, explores the role of serious criticism in a world of unadulterated opinions." —Electric Literature

“The moral clarity and seriousness of purpose throughout Andrea Long Chu’s Authority feels so correct, so inevitable in her prose, one almost forgets how rare it is. In an era of ethical infantilization, shitty cynicisms, and limpid rhetorical hygienics, Chu names exactly, irreducibly, what she sees and feels and believes. It’s thrilling, riding the vortical currents of such a singular—generational—mind. Like all truly great works of criticism, Authority makes remaining alive feel not just possible but worthwhile.” —Kaveh Akbar, author of Martyr!

“On top of being a galaxy-brain-level thinker, Andrea Long Chu has the grace to be a generous hostess. You came for wonders of discernment—and those she will show you—but all the while she’s cracking jokes, warming a fire, disclosing catty gossip, and passing you tasty treats. Within these pages is the best salon in contemporary America.” —Torrey Peters, author of Detransition, Baby

“Andrea Long Chu is one of the most charismatic and original thinkers at work today. These essays made me want to call a friend and get into an argument—about literature, about culture, about life. With style and bracing humor, she has located the exact pulse of our moment and taken its measure. A writer and critic to be reckoned with.” —Brandon Taylor, author of The Late Americans

“Reading Andrea Long Chu is always an exhortation to dismantle some authority—outer, inner, or usually both. Chu demands we think counterintuitively, radically, and exactingly, with paradoxical precision and irreverent urgency. This collection coalesces around the dialectic of freedom and authority—a binary dismantlement increasingly vital to us as thinkers, readers, and citizens.” —Lexi Freiman, author of The Book of Ayn

“It is not enough, as Andrea Long Chu rightly sees it, for criticism to ask questions of art—readers are owed an honest stab at them. And Chu’s reputation for edge is well-earned. She wants, we want, as do the impressive range of cultural objects at her disposal. At her command, these wanting blobs—art, ourselves—acquire discipline in a form we should be so lucky to call criticism.” —Lauren Michele Jackson, author of White Negroes

"This brilliant collection from Chu showcases the Pulitzer Prize–winning critic’s reflections on literature, television, and the art of criticism . . . Intellectually rigorous and lucidly argued, this affirms Chu’s status as one of the most incisive critics working today." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Chu is an insightful writer with a sharp eye and little tolerance for hypocrisy. This is a sparkling read, timely and relevant." —Booklist

"A critic wields a sharp scalpel. . . [Chu's] stance is nothing less than assertive, uncompromising ... [an] acerbic social and cultural critique." —Kirkus

"I can’t wait to disappear into this collection of essays from one of my favorite critics . . . tackling culture in all its forms—and also, in two new essays, taking on criticism itself, and how it should (or can) be practiced today. If anyone should know, it’s Chu." —LitHub