Creep : Accusations and Confessions

A ruthless & razor-sharp essay collection that tackles the pervasive, creeping oppression & toxicity that has wormed its way into society—in our books, schools, & homes, as well as the systems that perpetuate them—from the acclaimed author of Mean, and one of our fiercest, foremost explorers of intersectional Latinx identity. A creep can be a singular figure, a villain who makes things go bump in the night. Yet creep is also what the fog does—it lurks into place to do its dirty work, muffling screams, obscuring the truth, & providing cover for those prowling within it. Creep is Myriam Gurba’s informal sociology of creeps, a deep dive into the dark recesses of the toxic traditions that plague the United States & create the abusers who haunt our books, schools, & homes. Through cultural criticism disguised as personal essay, Gurba studies the ways in which oppression is collectively enacted, sustaining ecosystems that unfairly distribute suffering & premature death to our most vulnerable. Yet identifying individual creeps, creepy social groups, & creepy cultures is only half of this book’s project—the other half is examining how we as individuals, communities, & institutions can challenge creeps & rid ourselves of the fog that seeks to blind us. With her ruthless mind, wry humor, & adventurous style, Gurba implicates everyone from Joan Didion to her former abuser, everything from Mexican stereotypes to the carceral state. Braiding her own history & identity throughout, she argues for a new way of conceptualizing oppression, & she does it with her signature blend of bravado & humility.°°° Myriam Gurba lives in southern California & will probably never leave. She is the author of four books & is trying to bang out two more. A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE FINALIST A LAMBDA LITERARY AWARD FINALIST “Quite simply one of the best books of the decade.” —Los Angeles Review of Books • “The mother of intersectional Latinx identity.” —Cosmopolitan • “Brilliant...a hopeful book...rooted in the steadfast belief other worlds are possible.” —The New York Observer • “Witty, confident, and effortlessly provocative.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer • “The most fearless writer in America.” —Luis Alberto Urrea, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Good Night, Irene A ruthless and razor-sharp essay collection that tackles the pervasive, creeping oppression and toxicity that has wormed its way into society—in our books, schools, and homes, as well as the systems that perpetuate them—from one of our fiercest, foremost explorers of intersectional Latinx identity.A creep can be a single figure, a villain who makes things go bump in the night. Yet creep is also what the fog does—it lurks into place to do its dirty work, muffling screams, obscuring the truth, and providing cover for those prowling within it. Creep is “sharp, conversational cultural criticism” (Bustle), a blistering and slyly informal sociology of creeps (the individuals who deceive, exploit, and oppress) and creep culture (the systems, tacit rules, and institutions that feed them and allow them to grow and thrive). In eleven bold, electrifying pieces, Gurba mines her own life and the lives of others—some famous, some infamous, some you've never heard of but will likely never forget—to unearth the toxic traditions that have long plagued our culture and enabled the abusers who haunt our books, schools, and homes. With her ruthless mind, wry humor, and adventurous style, Gurba implicates everyone from William Burroughs to her grandfather, from Joan Didion to her own abusive ex-partner; she takes aim at everything from public school administrations to the mainstream media, from Mexican stereotypes to the carceral state. Weaving her own history and identity throughout, she argues for a new way of conceptualizing oppression, and she does it with her signature blend of bravado and humility. A NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE FINALIST IN CRITICISM "Quite simply one of the best books of the decade." —Los Angeles Review of Books * "The mother of intersectional Latinx identity." —Cosmopolitan * "Brilliant...a hopeful book...rooted in the steadfast belief other worlds are possible." — The New York Observer * "Witty, confident, and effortlessly provocative." —The Philadelphia Inquirer * "The most fearless writer in America." — Luis Alberto Urrea, Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of Good Night, Irene A ruthless and razor-sharp essay collection that tackles the pervasive, creeping oppression and toxicity that has wormed its way into society—in our books, schools, and homes, as well as the systems that perpetuate them—from one of our fiercest, foremost explorers of intersectional Latinx identity. A creep can be a single figure, a villain who makes things go bump in the night. Yet creep is also what the fog does—it lurks into place to do its dirty work, muffling screams, obscuring the truth, and providing cover for those prowling within it. Creep is "sharp, conversational cultural criticism" ( Bustle ), a blistering and slyly informal sociology of creeps (the individuals who deceive, exploit, and oppress) and creep culture (the systems, tacit rules, and institutions that feed them and allow them to grow and thrive). In eleven bold, electrifying pieces, Gurba mines her own life and the lives of others—some famous, some infamous, some you've never heard of but will likely never forget—to unearth the toxic traditions that have long plagued our culture and enabled the abusers who haunt our books, schools, and homes. With her ruthless mind, wry humor, and adventurous style, Gurba implicates everyone from William Burroughs to her grandfather, from Joan Didion to her own abusive ex-partner; she takes aim at everything from public school administrations to the mainstream media, from Mexican stereotypes to the carceral state. Weaving her own history and identity throughout, she argues for a new way of conceptualizing oppression, and she does it with her signature blend of bravado and humility. A ruthless and razor-sharp essay collection that tackles the pervasive, creeping oppression and toxicity that has wormed its way into societyin our books, schools, and homes, as well as the systems that perpetuate themfrom the acclaimed author of Mean , and one of our fiercest, foremost explorers of intersectional Latinx identity. A creep can be a singular figure, a villain who makes things go bump in the night. Yet creep is also what the fog doesit lurks and slithers into place, muffling screams, obscuring the truth, and providing cover for those prowling within it. Now, Myriam Gurba delves into the sociology of creep, taking a deep dive into the dark recesses of the toxic traditions and the people that plague todays America, analyzing the abusers who haunt our books, schools, and homes. Blending cultural criticism with her powerful, deeply personal experiences, Gurba examines the ways in which oppression is collectively enacted, sustaining ecosystems that unfairly perpetuate suffering and premature death to our most vulnerable. Yet identifying individual creeps, social groups, and cultures is only the beginning; the bulk of the book examines how we as individuals, communities, and institutions can challenge creeps and rid ourselves of the fog that seeks to blind us. With her brilliant mind, brazen style, and wry humor, Gurba implicates everyone from Joan Didion, Mexican sterotypes to her former abuser. Braiding her own history and identity throughout, she passionately argues for a new way of conceptualizing oppression and offers tools that can help liberate us all.