She’s Nice Though: Essays on Being Bad at Being Good

A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY SUMMER READ STAFF PICK

In this thought-provoking, humorous collection of essays, the author of Weird But Normal and morning blogger at The Cut explores kindness, agreeability, goodness, and the assumptions and expectations that come with being female, Asian, and Midwestern.

Everyone knows Midwesterners are salt-of-the-earth folk defined by their goodness, niceness, and politeness … right. In this funny, wide-ranging collection, Mia Mercado ponders her identity as an Asian woman living in the Midwest, including what nice means-and why anyone would want to be it. Drawing on a wide range of subjects, including her body, her dog, trash reality television, bizarre Tweets from strangers, and her high school science teacher, she uncovers weird, long-overdue truths about ourselves, our frailty, and our failings-seeing them not as a source of shame but a cause for celebration.

She’s Nice Though offers a mind-bending glimpse into our misperceptions and misconceptions as humans, as viewed by a razor-sharp cultural critic, hilarious millennial content queen, and expert essayist with a unique voice and a gift for detail. Like Jia Tolentino’s Trick Mirror, Michelle Zauner’s Crying in H-Mart, and Samantha Irby’s Wow No Thank You, Mia’s humorous myth-busting second book reflects the illusions and delusions of contemporary life-and who we really are.