{"product_id":"no-sense-in-wishing-essays","title":"No Sense in Wishing: Essays","description":"\u003cb\u003eA BEST BOOK OF 2025: \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e- \u003ci\u003eVulture\u003c\/i\u003e -\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"Earnest and engaging.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"Among the most profound and dazzling debuts I've ever read.\" --Kiese Laymon, award-winning author of\u003ci\u003e Heavy: An American Memoir\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eAn essay collection from culture critic Lawrence Burney that is a personal and analytical look at his home city of Baltimore, music from throughout the global Black diaspora, and the traditions that raised him.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThere are moments throughout our lives when we discover an artist, an album, a film, or a cultural artifact that leaves a lasting impression, helping inform how we understand the world, and ourselves, moving forward. In \u003ci\u003eNo Sense in Wishing\u003c\/i\u003e, Lawrence Burney explores these profound interactions with incisive and energizing prose, offering us a personal and critical perspective on the people, places, music, and art that transformed him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a time when music is spearheading Black Americans' connection with Africans on The Continent, Burney takes trips to cover the bubbling creative scenes in Lagos and Johannesburg that inspire teary-eyed reflections of self and belonging. Seeing his mother perform as the opening act at a Gil Scott-Heron show as a child inspires an essay about parent-child relationships and how personal taste is often inherited. And a Maryland crab feast with family facilitates an assessment of how the Black people in his home state have historically improvised paths for their liberation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTaking us on a journey from the streets of Baltimore to the concert halls of Lagos, \u003ci\u003eNo Sense in Wishing\u003c\/i\u003e is a kaleidoscopic exploration of Burney's search for self. With its gutsy and uncompromising criticism alongside intimate personal storytelling, it's like an album that hits all the right notes, from a promising writer on the rise.\u003cdiv style=\"display:none\"\u003eISBN-10: 1668051850\u003cbr\u003eISBN-13: 9781668051856\u003cbr\u003eAuthor: Burney, Lawrence\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: Atria Books\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Atria Books","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Jul 2025)","offer_id":46080570097861,"sku":"9781668051856","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0708\/6414\/2533\/files\/9781668051856.jpg?v=1776038382","url":"https:\/\/www.inveni.store\/products\/no-sense-in-wishing-essays","provider":"Inveni","version":"1.0","type":"link"}