Having and Being Had by Eula Biss

A series of very short and somewhat meandering ruminations on consumerism, class, wealth, and our contemporary obsession with material possessions – mixed in with some classic literature references, some pop culture, and many personal anecdotes (to the point the book seems more like a memoir than anything else, which it probably is). Eula Biss writes with a particular tone of inquisitiveness that is also tinged with confusion, irreverence, and a certain amount of irony to illustrate the ridiculousness of our society’s setup, which Biss remains inevitably complicit in considering her background. I spot none of the pretense of making these essays some sort of high-horse display of principles, though some people identify this book as a white-woman-being-out-of-touch-with-reality sort of writing. What I think these criticisms don’t acknowledge enough is Eula Biss’ keen and unconventional analogies, and talent in articulating her own questions and bafflement without tiring the readers. 4/5