Jia Tolentino Books In Order

Publication Order of Essay Collections

Publication Order of Currency Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

About Jia Tolentino

The American writer and cultural commentator Jia Tolentino is extremely well known for her many contributions to various different publications over the years. Providing columns for a whole variety of different prestigious outlets, she has come a long way very quickly, thus providing her with a strong platform in the process. With something to say, she has a strong message to put forwards too, with a feminist approach that is both refreshing and accessible in equal measure, whilst simultaneously being multi-layered in its approach as well. This has led to her creating a style that is witty and entertaining, as well being highly informative with substance at the very heart of it. Giving her readers what they want as well, she doesn’t compromise her ideals, but she does know how to speak to a mass-audience, with readers coming in from all across the globe.

With a strong, impassioned and highly articulate style, she is definitely a writer to watch, especially having achieved so much at such a young age. Ranking on the Forbes ’30 under 30′ list, she is an extremely gifted and talented writer with a lot to say, which will surely progress over time. This includes winning various other awards for her work too, allowing her to become one of the defining authors and writers of her age. Looking like she’s not stopping any time soon either, her writing career will grow from strength-to-strength in the years to come as well.

Early and Personal Life

Born in Toronto in Canada to parents hailing from the Philippines, Jia Tolentino would grow up in a Southern Baptist community in Texas. This would see her grow up with a strong passion for reading and writing from an early age, as she would go on to attend the University of Virginia in 2005. Later she would spend a year serving in the Peace Corps following her graduation in 2009, whereby she would be posted to Kyrgyzstan.

After this she would go on and receive an MFA, which she would gain from the University of Michigan. She would start by working for ‘The Hairpin’ in 2013, which is where she would first begin to find and hone her voice as a writer. Writing incisive and intelligent articles, she would quickly become a mainstay of the literary scene, with her work being highly regarded by many.

Writing Career

It would be in 2019 that Jia Tolentino would write her first debut title, publishing the book ‘Trick Mirror’, which would be a collection of her essays. Before this though, she would largely be known for writing and contributing to various different publications, providing essays, reviews and columns. Working for Jezebel and The New Yorker, she would quickly become known for her witty and cutting commentaries that would get to the heart of many a subject or issue. Formulating an idiosyncratic voice for herself that was quite unlike any other, she would fast become a leading writer, a position which she continues to expand upon to this day.

Trick Mirror

Originally published through the ‘Random House’ publishing label, this would first come out on the 6th of August in 2019. Marking the first book to be released by Jia Tolentino as an author, it would provide readers with a clear insight into her world and way of thinking. With many fans and admirers of her work already, this is definitely a title that will achieve a huge amount of success over the years to follow.

Formatted over the course of nine essays, this collects all of the best work of Jia Tolentino into one thematic arc with something to say. Attempting lay out the paradoxes of the modern age, she aims to provide the reader with a guided tour of the pitfalls of a generation. Using wit and good humor, this is a seemingly effortless exercise in understanding and defining the self in modern contemporary times. Resonating with an audience worldwide regardless of where they’re from, it’s easy to see why so many are singing her praises today.

Looking at what it is that makes up her generation, Jia Tolentino aims to get to the heart of what it is that really drives the millennials. Speaking directly from a personal place, she aims to examine how culture has shaped the individual over the years, and how they can find their own sense of self. Casting a critical eye on how the prisms of her culture have molded her, Tolentino aims to find where her own sense of self lies within all of this. Breaking down the many obstacles that lie in her way, she takes the reader on a trip, allowing them to understand this journey of self-discovery alongside her. Attempting to remove all the excess noise of an overly cluttered decade largely defined by the internet, she attempts to see her real self that lies upon the other side of the trick mirror.

Articles and Columns

Prior to writing her first book, Jia Tolentino would write a number of different articles for a whole variety of different publications. These would quickly attract the attention of many influential individuals, along with the more general reading public at large. Garnering attention through her time spent at Gawker, before it was closed down, she would write and edit numerous articles there too.

Included in her list of credentials would be publications such as ‘The New Yorker’, where she would write the essay ‘The Limits of Power’ in 2017, along ‘Killing It: Is There Something Wrong With Millennials’ that same year, followed by ‘Safer Spaces’ in 2018. She would also write some ‘Cultural Comment’ columns for them, looking at contemporary cultural issues, such as those surrounding that of ‘The Purge’. This would later include the ‘Page Turner’ columns for the New Yorker site as well, which would largely focus upon literature.

All of this alongside her time spent at Gawker would lead to her becoming a highly prominent voice throughout the industry. Writing columns for Jezebel before Gawker was sold, she would produce a large amount of quality content for them, as well as editing. All of this has led to where she currently is today, as she continues to write regularly, maintaining a key presence both online and off.