Gay is a writer who is unafraid to look at the shadowed angles of life and expose them with keen insight and unapologetic critique. It seems such a simple thing, to ask that a writer be unafraid in her or his work, to question the obvious or pre-defined roles society hands out like bad hard candy that we all eat and share while ignoring what it does to us. Honesty is perhaps the most difficult thing. So few writers do it. It should be commended. These essays confront, pose, oppose, and enlighten. They are refined and unabashed at the same time. They should be read by you.