Zadie Smith's Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays

Just finished reading Zadie Smith's "Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays" and loving it. How could I have ignored her essay writing talent by focusing solely on her novels? Even when discussing classics of English and European literature I have not personally read, her essays are still accessible, witty, humorous, and thought-provoking. I knew from the start it would be a good collection of essays due to her balanced perspective on Zora Neale Hurston. In addition, she deconstructs some of the problems in how one approaches writing, literary criticism, and is unafraid to write personal pieces about her own identity as a black woman, specifically in how it relates to how we perceive President Obama. Her cautious optimism about her experience in Liberia and thoughtful film criticism also opened my eyes. From now on, I'll make sure to read Smith's essays as religiously as I follow her novels.