From the New York Times bestselling author of Texts From Jane Eyre
and Merry Spinster, writer of Slate’s “Dear Prudence” column,
and cofounder of The Toast comes a hilarious and stirring collection
of essays and cultural observations spanning pop culture—from the
endearingly popular to the staggeringly obscure.
Daniel Mallory Ortberg is known for blending genres, forms, and
sources to develop fascinating new hybrids—from lyric rants to
horror recipes to pornographic scripture. In his most personal work
to date, he turns his attention to the essay, offering vigorous and
laugh-out-loud funny accounts of both popular and highbrow culture
while mixing in meditations on gender transition, family dynamics,
and the many meanings of faith.
From a thoughtful
analysis of the beauty of William Shatner to a sinister reimagining
of HGTV’s House Hunters, and featuring figures as varied as Anne of
Green Gables, Columbo, Nora Ephron, Apollo, and the cast of Mean
Girls, Something That May Shock and Discredit You is a
hilarious and emotionally exhilarating compendium that combines
personal history with cultural history to make you see yourself and
those around you entirely anew. It further establishes Ortberg as one
of the most innovative and engaging voices of his generation—and it
may just change the way you think about Lord Byron forever.
