I felt equal parts called out and validated by this book and really, that’s all you need to know to pick it up. If you grew up smack dab in the middle of the height of popular culture—the early 2000s—chances are, you can at least relate to half of the essays in this book.

While all of her essays contain such autobiographical material, they also boast dives into examinations of the condition of being queer so deep as to approach exercises in queer theory. Yes, the collection sometimes takes itself a wee bit too seriously but is more often lively and thought provoking.

Perry’s book of personal essays is both an overview of her experience as a gay woman and an examination of the pop culture that shaped her.

In this laugh-out-loud debut, Reductress contributor Perry blends memoir with cultural criticism to dissect the influence that 2000s-era media had on millions of queer millennials, including herself.

Perry deploys specific pop-culture phenomena to open up larger conversations about a variety of relevant topics.