Oh god it’s so real

This book is so relatable it feels like I wrote it myself. I will immediately let you know that this book will not be a fun read for anyone who is probably outside of the 28-35 age range. It feels like such a specific book for people who had the similar experiences in the early 2000s that I don’t know if those who are a bit older/a bit younger will have watched the shows Perry discusses and there are a LOT of references in this collection. If you’ve never watched The OC and have no idea who Seth Cohen is, for example, this is probably not the book for you. That being said, the description of the book on the jacket is 100% true to what the book is, so you should know what you’re getting into before even turning to the first page.

Personally, I absolutely adore this collection because I relate to it so much. Grace and I are both queer women from the Midwest who consumed a lot of media when we were in our early teens to twenties, so this felt like reading messages from a friend. There is a chapter that discusses The Real World Chicago, which I distinctly remember watching every single week and going downtown to see the house where they were living as it was being filmed. So many things Perry talks about apply straight to my adolescence, from my crush on Seth Cohen to how much Mean Girls really fit my high school experience, all the way to the series Glee, which looking back is problematic at best, but then was a beacon for we closeted gay kids looking to see someone who was like us on TV.

This is absolutely a memoir/coming of age book in which Grace’s journey through her sexuality is benchmarked by important pieces of media in her life. It is not just a collection of essays but a lot of memoir, so make sure you’re aware of that before you jump in thinking it only covers pop culture.

Big fan of this one. I hope Grace releases another collection like this one day.

Title: The 2000s Made Me Gay
Author:  Grace Perry
Format: Paperback
Pages:  256
ISBN: 9781250760142

Three Descriptors: Candid, Accessible, Reflective

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