Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of Rax King’s memoir, Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer.

I have to confess that King’s book was completely unexpected. Previous to reading her memoir, I was not aware of King, who hosts a podcast of the same theme as her book. I have not have a chance to listen to her podcast, but I have since subscribed and I look forward to it.

What I found surprising, was the tone of her memoir. Based on the cover and title, I was expecting a relatively fluffy book that would allow me to relate to King with a shared love for our less refined side of American culture. What I was not expecting was the serious tone and heavy subject matter that is soaked into every chapter. There is humor, mostly from King’s wry comments and keen observations, but she also attacks heavy subjects such as relationship abuse, body image issues, and sordid affairs. It’s dark and weighty. It’s cringy too, such as the reveal of a young Rex doing her best to be sexy for a much older, married boyfriend. Each chapter intwines a “tacky” culture phenomenon with her personal issue, such as finding the joy in watching Jersey Shore with her father, as he is dying.

The book may not have been what I was anticipating, but I want to convey to would-be readers that Tacky is so much more and so much better than I was expecting. Far from fluff, it was a profoundly moving experience. King’s memoir is raw and she offers no apologies, nor should she, for the life she has lived and the tacky culture that she loves. Read this book!