From the celebrated national bestselling novelist and critic, a groundbreaking collection of essays exploring the state of cultural criticism and what meaning art has in our ever-challenging world. Lauren Oyler has emerged as one of the most trenchant, influential, and revelatory critics of her generation, a talent who famously skewers and celebrates literary works with unsparing acuity. Her writing--acerbic, prismatic, and staggering in its genius and forthrightness--has crashed the London Review of Books website twice. Oyler delights in using her biting insights like a crowbar, whether smashing shibboleths in her essays or shattering conventions in her first novel Fake Accounts. But what is the significance of being an author, critic, and social media personality in today's fraught world; how do these fragments form a whole and what is the relevance? Lauren's classic Oylerian response: Who cares? In this blistering, irreverent, and very funny manifesto, Oyler takes genuine pleasure in dissecting the forces that shape her life, as well as ours--our deeply-held notions of what constitutes the contemporary American experience. My Perfect Opinions takes on the political and cultural roots of joy, the psychology and influence of "hot takes," the rise of autofiction, and the elusive state of "cool." Oyler argues that art and ideas aren't "necessary"--but they matter implicitly. Explaining to readers, and herself, why--what "the stakes" are--has always been the goal of her writing. In this, her luminous and sometimes mind-bending first book of nonfiction, she encapsulates the world we live and think in with precision and care--delivering a witty, provocative, and brilliant work of cultural criticism as only she can.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE A wry, provocative and very funny debut novel about identity, authenticity and the self in the age of the internet 'I loved it' Zadie Smith 'Brilliant, very funny' Guardian 'Prepare to feel very seen' I-D On the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration, a young woman snoops through her boyfriend's phone and makes a startling discovery: he's an anonymous Internet conspiracy theorist, and a popular one at that. Already fluent in Internet fakery, irony, and outrage, she's not exactly shocked by the revelation. But this is only the first in a series of bizarre twists that expose a world whose truths are shaped by online lies. Suddenly left with no reason to stay in New York - or be anywhere in particular - she flees to Berlin, and embarks on her own cycles of manipulation in the deceptive spaces of her daily life, from dating apps to expat social events, open-plan offices to bureaucratic waiting rooms. Narrated in a voice as seductive as it is subtly subversive, Fake Accounts is a wry, provocative and very funny debut novel about identity and authenticity in the age of the internet.

As a critic, Lauren Oyler has spent a lot of time writing essays that attempt to convince an audience to pay attention to something that could easily be called irrelevant: usually a book. But how do we decide what does matter? If not caring about anything pegs you as a retrograde nihilist, caring too much, about the wrong things, is, at best, embarrassing and uncool; at worst, it may be immoral. What obsesses us is "real" and significant, but the contours of that significance are often blurry; it is easy to confuse care with importance, importance with obligation, particularly when there are apparently rewards for doing so. In this collection of interlinked essays, Oyler explores various modern phenomena - from online arguments, the popularity of #MeToo, autofiction, reality TV, fake news and conspiracy theories - to show how ideas about what is and is not important have shaped culture, how irrelevance can provide freedom as well as madness, and how caring or not caring is rarely a straightforward enterprise.

As a critic, Lauren Oyler has spent a lot of time writing essays that attempt to convince an audience to pay attention to something that could easily be called irrelevant: usually a book. But how do we decide what does matter? If not caring about anything pegs you as a retrograde nihilist, caring too much, about the wrong things, is, at best, embarrassing and uncool; at worst, it may be immoral. What obsesses us is "real" and significant, but the contours of that significance are often blurry; it is easy to confuse care with importance, importance with obligation, particularly when there are apparently rewards for doing so. In this collection of interlinked essays, Oyler explores various modern phenomena - from online arguments, the popularity of #MeToo, autofiction, reality TV, fake news and conspiracy theories - to show how ideas about what is and is not important have shaped culture, how irrelevance can provide freedom as well as madness, and how caring or not caring is rarely a straightforward enterprise.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE A wry, provocative and very funny debut novel about identity, authenticity and the self in the age of the internet 'I loved it' Zadie Smith 'Brilliant, very funny' Guardian 'Prepare to feel very seen' I-D On the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration, a young woman snoops through her boyfriend's phone and makes a startling discovery: he's an anonymous Internet conspiracy theorist, and a popular one at that. Already fluent in Internet fakery, irony, and outrage, she's not exactly shocked by the revelation. But this is only the first in a series of bizarre twists that expose a world whose truths are shaped by online lies. Suddenly left with no reason to stay in New York - or be anywhere in particular - she flees to Berlin, and embarks on her own cycles of manipulation in the deceptive spaces of her daily life, from dating apps to expat social events, open-plan offices to bureaucratic waiting rooms. Narrated in a voice as seductive as it is subtly subversive, Fake Accounts is a wry, provocative and very funny debut novel about identity and authenticity in the age of the internet.

'Always fascinating and very funny, Alyssa's book is full of juicy stories from one of the world's most glamorous jobs' Mindy Kaling If your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this . . . Alyssa Mastromonaco worked for Barack Obama for almost a decade, and long before his run for president. From the then-senator's early days in Congress to his years in the Oval Office, she made Hope and Change happen through blood, sweat, tears and lots of briefing binders. But for every historic occasion - meeting the queen at Buckingham Palace, bursting in on secret climate talks, or nailing a campaign speech in a hailstorm - there were dozens of less-than-perfect moments when it was up to Alyssa to save the day. Like the time she learned the hard way that there aren't nearly enough bathrooms at the Vatican. Full of hilarious, never-before-told stories, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? is an intimate portrait of a president, a book about how to get stuff done, and the story of how one woman challenged, again and again, what a 'White House official' is supposed to look like. Here Alyssa shares the strategies that made her successful in politics and beyond, including the importance of confidence, the value of not being a jerk, and why ultimately everything comes down to hard work (and always carrying a spare tampon). Told in a smart, original voice and topped off with a couple of really good cat stories, Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? is the brilliantly funny, frank and inspirational memoir from a savvy political star.

From the New York Times bestselling author of Who Thought This Was a Good Idea? comes a fun, frank book of reflections, essays and interviews on topics ranging from politics and career to motherhood, sisterhood and making and sustaining relationships of all kinds in the age of social media. Alyssa Mastromonaco is back with a bold, no-nonsense and no-holds-barred twenty-first-century girl's guide to life, tackling the highs and lows of bodies, politics, relationships, parents, education, life on the internet and pop culture. Whether discussing Barbra Streisand or The Bachelor, working in the West Wing or working on finding a wing woman, Alyssa leaves no stone unturned . . . and no awkward situation unexamined. Like her bestseller Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?, So Here's the Thing brings a sharp eye and outsize sense of humor to the myriad issues facing women the world over, both in and out of the workplace. Along with Alyssa's personal experiences and hard-won life lessons, interviews with women like Monica Lewinsky, Susan Rice and Chelsea Handler round out this modern woman's guide to, well, just about everything you can think of.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOLLINGER EVERYMAN WODEHOUSE PRIZE A wry, provocative and very funny debut novel about identity, authenticity and the self in the age of the internet ‘I loved it’ Zadie Smith ‘Brilliant, very funny’ Guardian ‘Prepare to feel very seen’ I-D On the eve of Donald Trump’s inauguration, a young woman snoops through her boyfriend’s phone and makes a startling discovery: he’s an anonymous Internet conspiracy theorist, and a popular one at that. Already fluent in Internet fakery, irony, and outrage, she’s not exactly shocked by the revelation. But this is only the first in a series of bizarre twists that expose a world whose truths are shaped by online lies. Suddenly left with no reason to stay in New York – or be anywhere in particular – she flees to Berlin, and embarks on her own cycles of manipulation in the deceptive spaces of her daily life, from dating apps to expat social events, open-plan offices to bureaucratic waiting rooms. Narrated in a voice as seductive as it is subtly subversive, Fake Accounts is a wry, provocative and very funny debut novel about identity and authenticity in the age of the internet.