Mean

Author(s): Myriam Gurba

Lesbian & Bi Biography / Memoir

Gurba is an extraordinary performer with an enthusiastic spoken word fan base, and the Mean's voice-driven quality should appeal to them directlyRather than a memoir, this is a nonfiction novel, a la How Should a Person Be-Gurba's life provides the plot points, but a novelistic impulse provides the frame. Gurba turns what might be tragic into piercing, revealing comedy, differentiating between "classic" (stranger rape) and "avant garde" (molestation by a classmate) sexual assault in a way that's in your face and unforgettable.Race, class, gender, and sexuality all break open in unexpected ways in Gurba's hands. This is a confident, funny, brassy book that takes the cost of sexual assault, racism, misogyny, and homophobia deadly seriously.

November 2017


Product Information

Endorsements in-hand: Jill SolowayEndorsements (potential): Eileen Myles, Lidia Yuknavich, Jenny Zhang, Michelle Tea, Tricia Lockwood, Wendy OrtizEarly access copiesNational print, radio, and online campaignTargeted bookseller mailingExcerpts in: Bustle, Bust, AutostraddlePromotion at: BookExpo America, AWP, ALAPromotion on Coffee House Press e-newsletter, website, and social media channelsGiveaways on Twitter, Instagram & GoodreadsSimultaneous print and e-book release, with e-book ISBN to be included on all press materials, author and publisher websites, and whenever print ISBN is listedTargeted publicity to promote author's speaking engagements

"[Gurba's] dark humor isn't used for shock value alone, offering instead a striking image of deflection and coping in the face of real pain and terror..." --Publishers Weekly "With its icy wit, edgy wedding of lyricism and prose, and unflinching look at personal and public demons, Gurba's introspective memoir is brave and significant." --Kirkus "Mean will make you LOL and break your heart." --The Millions "Honest and darkly funny, the book is riddled with moments that will have you nodding, cringing, and crying right along with the author." --Harper's Bazaar "With unconstrained, inventive, stop-you-in-your-tracks writing, Gurba asserts that there is glee, freedom, and, perhaps most of all, truth in meanness."--Booklist ..".Gurba's artistic sensibility is so fresh, her wit and observational skills so acute, that she defies all expected tropes and story structure." --Dallas Morning News "Don't let its slim profile fool you, this memoir bursts with vitality and humor (however mordant), all while dealing with issues of gender politics, sexual assault, PTSD, and Gurba's experience growing up as a queer, mixed race Chicana in California in the '80s." --Nylon "Not one to mince words, this Lambda Literary finalist [Myriam Gurba] nevertheless aims to entertain as she tackles racism, homophobia, and sexual violence in this amusing genre-defying celebration of strategic offensiveness." --Logo "[Gurba] breathes fire and Spanglish, batters you with her biting humor then buries you in truths you cannot look away from... This is how memoirs should always be written - with fierceness, brutal honesty and a wry smile cutting through it all." --Brightest Young Things "Read Mean for its humor and stimulating structure. Read Gurba for her unique perspective and literary stylings." --PANK "Through wit and in-your-face brilliance, Gurba tells a story that is both deeply personal and bitingly critical of modern life. Along the way, she also gives us a masterclass in what intersectionality is all about.""Through wit and in-your-face brilliance, Gurba tells a story that is both deeply personal and bitingly critical of modern life. Along the way, she also gives us a masterclass in what intersectionality is all about." --Shondaland "The complexity of [Gurba's] voice contributes to the appeal of her memoir, which is compelling, suspenseful, both knowable as the girl next door and mysterious...This memoir is remarkable for its unflinching candor, for its humor in the face of tragedy and absurdity, and for its adventurous style." --Shelf Awareness Pro "Gurba's writing feels devastating and holy and hilarious all at once..." --Autostraddle "Mean tackles the most serious of topics--sexual assault, racism, homophobia--with a voice that revels in the grim humor of survival." --Catapult Community, "Staff Picks" "I am such a gigantic fan of Myriam Gurba. Her voice is an alchemy of queer magic, feminist wildness, and intersectional explosion. She's a gigantic inspiration to my work and the sexiest, smartest literary discovery in Los Angeles. She's totally ready to wake up the world." --Jill Soloway "Casually frank and grimly funny, the stealth power of this book mesmerizes. Mean excavates one female's personal history with America's rape culture, zooming through suburbia, race, friendship, desire, education, family, pop culture--essentially taking on the world--with prose both controlled and popping with singular detail. There is no writer like Myriam Gurba, and Mean is perfection." --Michelle Tea "'The post-traumatic mind has an advanced set of art skills, ' Myriam Gurba writes. Mean tackles the profane and the sacred by sticking one hand into your chest and grabbing hold of your heart muscle while the other hand tickle fights your brain, complete with serious noogies. Aligned with female saints and feminist artists and writers, Gurba vividly offers stories both familiar and unfamiliar in a heartbreaking and riotously funny collection that, like Gurba, is hybrid in its form. I don't know that I've ever read a book that covers the territories of class, racism, sexual assault, eating disorders, and more that made me LOL with its ferocious intellect and biting humor. There is just no other voice like hers, and Mean is a testament to that fact. I want Myriam Gurba to translate the world." --Wendy Ortiz "Mean will make you LOL and break your heart." --The Millions, "Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2017 Book Preview" "Don't let its slim profile fool you, this memoir bursts with vitality and humor (however mordant), all while dealing with issues of gender politics, sexual assault, PTSD, and Gurba's experience growing up as a queer, mixed race Chicana in California in the '80s." --Nylon, "25 New Books To Read This Fall: Our Big Fall Book Preview" "[Gurba's] dark humor isn't used for shock value alone, offering instead a striking image of deflection and coping in the face of real pain and terror..." --Publishers Weekly "With its icy wit, edgy wedding of lyricism and prose, and unflinching look at personal and public demons, Gurba's introspective memoir is brave and significant." --Kirkus "Not one to mince words, this Lambda Literary finalist [Myriam Gurba] nevertheless aims to entertain as she tackles racism, homophobia, and sexual violence in this amusing genre-defying celebration of strategic offensiveness." --Logo, "8 Books to Fall in Love with This Autumn" "[Gurba] breathes fire and Spanglish, batters you with her biting humor then buries you in truths you cannot look away from... This is how memoirs should always be written - with fierceness, brutal honesty and a wry smile cutting through it all." --Brightest Young Things, "Duende District: Fall 2017 Reading List" "Through wit and in-your-face brilliance, Gurba tells a story that is both deeply personal and bitingly critical of modern life. Along the way, she also gives us a masterclass in what intersectionality is all about.""Through wit and in-your-face brilliance, Gurba tells a story that is both deeply personal and bitingly critical of modern life. Along the way, she also gives us a masterclass in what intersectionality is all about." --Shondaland "Mean tackles the most serious of topics--sexual assault, racism, homophobia--with a voice that revels in the grim humor of survival." --Catapult Community, "Staff Picks" "I am such a gigantic fan of Myriam Gurba. Her voice is an alchemy of queer magic, feminist wildness, and intersectional explosion. She's a gigantic inspiration to my work and the sexiest, smartest literary discovery in Los Angeles. She's totally ready to wake up the world." --Jill Soloway "Casually frank and grimly funny, the stealth power of this book mesmerizes. Mean excavates one female's personal history with America's rape culture, zooming through suburbia, race, friendship, desire, education, family, pop culture--essentially taking on the world--with prose both controlled and popping with singular detail. There is no writer like Myriam Gurba, and Mean is perfection." --Michelle Tea "'The post-traumatic mind has an advanced set of art skills, ' Myriam Gurba writes. Mean tackles the profane and the sacred by sticking one hand into your chest and grabbing hold ofyour heart muscle while the other hand tickle fights your brain, complete with serious noogies. Aligned with female saints and feminist artists and writers, Gurba vividly offers stories both familiar and unfamiliar in a heartbreaking and riotously funny collection that, like Gurba, is hybrid in its form. I don't know that I've ever read a book that covers the territories of class, racism, sexual assault, eating disorders, and more that made me LOL with its ferocious intellect and biting humor. There is just no other voice like hers, and Mean is a testament to that fact. I want Myriam Gurba to translate the world." --Wendy Ortiz "With its icy wit, edgy wedding of lyricism and prose, and unflinching look at personal and public demons, Gurba's introspective memoir is brave and significant." --Kirkus "Don't let its slim profile fool you, this memoir bursts with vitality and humor (however mordant), all while dealing with issues of gender politics, sexual assault, PTSD, and Gurba's experience growing up as a queer, mixed race Chicana in California in the '80s." --Nylon "Mean will make you LOL and break your heart." --The Millions, "Most Anticipated: The Great Second-Half 2017 Book Preview" "Not one to mince words, this Lambda Literary finalist [Myriam Gurba] nevertheless aims to entertain as she tackles racism, homophobia, and sexual violence in this amusing genre-defying celebration of strategic offensiveness." --Logo, "8 Books to Fall in Love with This Autumn" "[Gurba] breathes fire and Spanglish, batters you with her biting humor then buries you in truths you cannot look away from... This is how memoirs should always be written - with fierceness, brutal honesty and a wry smile cutting through it all." --Brightest Young Things "I am such a gigantic fan of Myriam Gurba. Her voice is an alchemy of queer magic, feminist wildness, and intersectional explosion. She's a gigantic inspiration to my work and the sexiest, smartest literary discovery in Los Angeles. She's totally ready to wake up the world." --Jill Soloway "Casually frank and grimly funny, the stealth power of this book mesmerizes. Mean excavates one female's personal history with America's rape culture, zooming through suburbia, race, friendship, desire, education, family, pop culture--essentially taking on the world--with prose both controlled and popping with singular detail. There is no writer like Myriam Gurba, and Mean is perfection." --Michelle Tea "'The post-traumatic mind has an advanced set of art skills, ' Myriam Gurba writes. Mean tackles the profane and the sacred by sticking one hand into your chest and grabbing hold of your heart muscle while the other hand tickle fights your brain, complete with serious noogies. Aligned with female saints and feminist artists and writers, Gurba vividly offers stories both familiar and unfamiliar in a heartbreaking and riotously funny collection that, like Gurba, is hybrid in its form. I don't know that I've ever read a book that covers the territories of class, racism, sexual assault, eating disorders, and more that made me LOL with its ferocious intellect and biting humor. There is just no other voice like hers, and Mean is a testament to that fact. I want Myriam Gurba to translate the world." --Wendy Ortiz "Mean tackles the most serious of topics--sexual assault, racism, homophobia--with a voice that revels in the grim humor of survival." --Catapult Community, "Staff Picks" "I am such a gigantic fan of Myriam Gurba. Her voice is an alchemy of queer magic, feminist wildness, and intersectional explosion. She's a gigantic inspiration to my work and the sexiest, smartest literary discovery in Los Angeles. She's totally ready to wake up the world." --Jill Soloway "Casually frank and grimly funny, the stealth power of this book mesmerizes. Mean excavates one female's personal history with America's rape culture, zooming through suburbia, race, friendship, desire, education, family, pop culture--essentially taking on the world--with prose both controlled and popping with singular detail. There is no writer like Myriam Gurba, and Mean is perfection." --Michelle Tea "'The post-traumatic mind has an advanced set of art skills, ' Myriam Gurba writes. Mean tackles the profane and the sacred by sticking one hand into your chest and grabbing hold of your heart muscle while the other hand tickle fights your brain, complete with serious noogies. Aligned with female saints and feminist artists and writers, Gurba vividly offers stories both familiar and unfamiliar in a heartbreaking and riotously funny collection that, like Gurba, is hybrid in its form. I don't know that I've ever read a book that covers the territories of class, racism, sexual assault, eating disorders, and more that made me LOL with its ferocious intellect and biting humor. There is just no other voice like hers, and Mean is a testament to that fact. I want Myriam Gurba to translate the world." --Wendy Ortiz

Myriam Gurba lives in California and loves it. She teaches high school, writes, and makes "art." nbc described her short story collection Painting Their Portraits in Winter as "edgy, thought-provoking, and funny." She has written for Time, kcet, and The Rumpus. Wildflowers, compliments, and cash make her happy.

General Fields

  • : 9781566894913
  • : Coffee House Press
  • : Coffee House Press
  • : 0.23
  • : November 2017
  • : 210mm X 140mm
  • : United States
  • : December 2007
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : 160
  • : B
  • : English
  • : Paperback
  • : Myriam Gurba