The Hard Crowd: Essays 2000–2020
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Rachel Kushner
- ISBN：1787332977
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Summary
A career-spanning collection of spectacular essays about politics and culture
Rachel Kushner has established herself as a master of the essay form。 In The Hard Crowd， she gathers a selection of her writing from over the course of the last twenty years that addresses the most pressing political， artistic， and cultural issues of our times—and illuminates the themes and real-life terrain that underpin her fiction。
In nineteen razor-sharp essays， The Hard Crowd spans literary journalism， memoir， cultural criticism， and writing about art and literature， including pieces on Jeff Koons， Denis Johnson， and Marguerite Duras。 Kushner takes us on a journey through a Palestinian refugee camp， an illegal motorcycle race down the Baja Peninsula， 1970s wildcat strikes in Fiat factories， her love of classic cars， and her young life in the music scene of her hometown， San Francisco。 The closing， eponymous essay is her manifesto on nostalgia， doom， and writing。
These pieces， new and old， are electric， phosphorescently vivid， and wry， and they provide an opportunity to witness the evolution and range of one of our most dazzling and fearless writers。
Rachel Kushner has established herself as a master of the essay form。 In The Hard Crowd， she gathers a selection of her writing from over the course of the last twenty years that addresses the most pressing political， artistic， and cultural issues of our times—and illuminates the themes and real-life terrain that underpin her fiction。
In nineteen razor-sharp essays， The Hard Crowd spans literary journalism， memoir， cultural criticism， and writing about art and literature， including pieces on Jeff Koons， Denis Johnson， and Marguerite Duras。 Kushner takes us on a journey through a Palestinian refugee camp， an illegal motorcycle race down the Baja Peninsula， 1970s wildcat strikes in Fiat factories， her love of classic cars， and her young life in the music scene of her hometown， San Francisco。 The closing， eponymous essay is her manifesto on nostalgia， doom， and writing。
These pieces， new and old， are electric， phosphorescently vivid， and wry， and they provide an opportunity to witness the evolution and range of one of our most dazzling and fearless writers。
Reviews
Lissa
，
I love a good essay collection and was really looking forward to this one。 Overall， though， it was a mixed bag for me。 I liked her essays on social issues and nostalgia but there were a few （especially on art and media） that I would start and then eventually lose interest。 I did enjoy her writing so I think I would like her fiction， which I surprisingly have not read， much more。 I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。
Mark Chimel
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This collection is really all over the place and in the beginning I was really confused。 However， as I continued the lack of cohesion bothered me less and less because the writing was strong and interesting。 The final essay which bears the same title as the collection itself is particular poignant， as is "Is Prison Necessary？"。 It's not surprising that a collection of writings that span 20 years touch a wide range of themes and many times don't seem to thread together in any way， but this is the This collection is really all over the place and in the beginning I was really confused。 However， as I continued the lack of cohesion bothered me less and less because the writing was strong and interesting。 The final essay which bears the same title as the collection itself is particular poignant， as is "Is Prison Necessary？"。 It's not surprising that a collection of writings that span 20 years touch a wide range of themes and many times don't seem to thread together in any way， but this is the main reason that I wouldn't rate this book。 However， when viewed as a 20 year portfolio of work there is depth and breadth and just plain great writing contained throughout this collection。*I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Chris Roberts
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I don't vibe essaysA collection of abnormalities， pretextsThey exist absurdly and are absent one verityFamilial ties are a mythAbsent genetics A mother owes her child absolutely nothingThe daughter owes her mother not one glance backward。Chris Roberts， Patron Saint of Part-Time Humans I don't vibe essaysA collection of abnormalities， pretextsThey exist absurdly and are absent one verityFamilial ties are a mythAbsent genetics A mother owes her child absolutely nothingThe daughter owes her mother not one glance backward。Chris Roberts， Patron Saint of Part-Time Humans 。。。more
Paul Wilner
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Amazing collection。My interview with Rachel Kushner， for the Nob Hill Gazette， at this link:https://nobhillgazette。com/coming-of-。。。 Amazing collection。My interview with Rachel Kushner， for the Nob Hill Gazette， at this link:https://nobhillgazette。com/coming-of-。。。 。。。more
Shawna
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Very interesting collection of essays。 I really enjoyed the personal experience stories the best like the Keith Richards and the motorcycle race。
Chris Haak
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Very well written and felt essays。 I personally would have liked less essays about art， literature， film and more about life， culture， politics。 Her essays about the motorcycle race and the refugee camp in Jerusalem are absolutely outstanding for instance。 Thank you Simon and Schuster and Edelweiss for the ARC。
Kasa Cotugno
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In a recent Zoom conversation between George Saunders and Tobias Wolfe， Rachel Kushner's name came up -- Saunders said he would read whatever she wrote。 She is one of those special talents who is equally at home in fiction as well as non-， and this collection of essays showcases her proficiency with the latter。 Her material covers subjects ranging from a visit to a Palestinian refugee camp to portraits of unconventional personalities， but when she is writing about her own experience， well， that' In a recent Zoom conversation between George Saunders and Tobias Wolfe， Rachel Kushner's name came up -- Saunders said he would read whatever she wrote。 She is one of those special talents who is equally at home in fiction as well as non-， and this collection of essays showcases her proficiency with the latter。 Her material covers subjects ranging from a visit to a Palestinian refugee camp to portraits of unconventional personalities， but when she is writing about her own experience， well， that's when the gloves come off （not that the gloves were there to begin with）， and a reader can truly appreciate where her gutsy， take-no-prisoners style comes from。 Her parents are to be commended， granting her the freedom from a very young age to hone her sense of independence。 As she fearlessly enters a motorcycle race （illegal） down the Baja Peninsula or waits bar in San Francisco's Tenderloin， she has the instincts of a keen observer。 The final piece， a nostalgic lookback at growing up on the non-touristy side of San Francisco， closes with the observation "I'm talking about my own life。 Which not only can't matter to you， it might bore you。" No。 Never。 Boring is one thing that Rachel Kushner never is。 。。。more
Milana M （acouplereads）
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This collection of essays brought about nostalgia within me。 But this nostalgia is not one I personally experienced but one I felt through second hand driven from music and movies。 Nostalgia I wished I had experienced as the 70s and 80s are a time unlike any other in our history。 A time of exploration and discovery， a time where toeing the line of mischief could never again be replicated。🏍Rachel Kushner is an author of not one but two nominated national book award titles。 She is an author I’ve n This collection of essays brought about nostalgia within me。 But this nostalgia is not one I personally experienced but one I felt through second hand driven from music and movies。 Nostalgia I wished I had experienced as the 70s and 80s are a time unlike any other in our history。 A time of exploration and discovery， a time where toeing the line of mischief could never again be replicated。🏍Rachel Kushner is an author of not one but two nominated national book award titles。 She is an author I’ve never read but there was something enticing about her stories from the synopsis and when I saw @bookalong enjoyed it well， I knew I had to get my hands on it。 🏍Kushner shares her experiences through essays she’s written。 From partying with Keith Richards and participating in an illegal motorcycle race to visiting a refugee camp in Israel as a journalist， this woman has many stories for us。 Stories I’d love to sit down and have a beer and just listen to her relay them to me for hours on end。🏍Although some pieces went completely over my head and google was a necessity， I found others I connected with that created a lump in my throat and others had me rage reading at the experiences she had and what she saw。🏍An incredible writer so much so that I wrote down more quotes than I have from any of my other January reads。 Thank you @simonschusterca for the review copy， I can’t wait to read her fiction， 3。5✨ for The Hard Crowd。 。。。more
Kate
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This was an interesting collection。 I hadn't read any of her non-fiction before but really enjoyed it。 Kushner is one if thoes authors I would love to hang out with。 In these essays which were written throughout the last 20 years she covers a variety of subjects。 Her more personal essays were my favorites。 Like one about a motorcycle race down in Mexico， and another about working in various rock club。 And the literary essays I enjoyed too， about Denis Johnson， Cormac McCarthy and another about M This was an interesting collection。 I hadn't read any of her non-fiction before but really enjoyed it。 Kushner is one if thoes authors I would love to hang out with。 In these essays which were written throughout the last 20 years she covers a variety of subjects。 Her more personal essays were my favorites。 Like one about a motorcycle race down in Mexico， and another about working in various rock club。 And the literary essays I enjoyed too， about Denis Johnson， Cormac McCarthy and another about Margaret Duras， all left me compelled to read more of their work。 There is a reportage piece on the abolition of jails that was very thought provoking as well。 This was a well compiled collection。 I did wish that the dates she wrote the essays had been included though。 There is no doubt Kushner is a magnificent writer。 Being able to write interesting non-fiction as well as fiction really shows her skills。 Thank you to @simonschusterca for sending me this #arc。 Available April 6th。 •For more of my book content check out instagram。com/bookalong 。。。more
James Beggarly
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Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the early ebook。 Rachel Kushner is one of my favorite novelist and I’ve read a few of her nonfiction pieces in the New York Times Magazine， but it’s great to read this whole collection。 There’s a great straight reporting article about the growing debate about the abolition of jails that is wonderful。 There’s also some great thoughts on writers such as Duras， Denis Johnson and Comac McCarthy and his Border Trilogy。 But my favorite pieces are the more personal Thanks to Netgalley and Scribner for the early ebook。 Rachel Kushner is one of my favorite novelist and I’ve read a few of her nonfiction pieces in the New York Times Magazine， but it’s great to read this whole collection。 There’s a great straight reporting article about the growing debate about the abolition of jails that is wonderful。 There’s also some great thoughts on writers such as Duras， Denis Johnson and Comac McCarthy and his Border Trilogy。 But my favorite pieces are the more personal essays like when she’s a bartender in San Francisco and working in various rock clubs， the opening piece of a day long motorcycle race in Mexico that she rode is brilliant and the looking back to her younger years of growing up in San Francisco in the title essay that is filled with the tough and wounded crowd that she knew， most who are missing or dead。 That last one has more interesting characters than an Elmore Leonard book and I hope it’s a story she comes back to in a longer， fictional form， though she writes that she’s not ready to do so just yet。 。。。more
Vincent Scarpa
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