She's Nice Though

Essays on Being Bad at Being Good

By: Mia Mercado

Narrated by: Natalie Naudus

Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

AN NPR BOOK-OF-THE-DAY • A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY STAFF PICK • A NYLON MUST-READ • A FORTUNE NEW BOOK TO READ IN AUGUST

“And, at the center of it all, am I actually nice or am I just performing a role I think I’m expected to play?” Mia Mercado is a razor-sharp cultural critic and essayist known for her witty and hilarious dissections of the uncomfortable truths that rule our lives. In this thought-provoking collection of new essays, Mercado examines what it means to be “polite,” “agreeable,” and “nice.” She covers topics from the subtleties of the “Bad Bitch” and why women dominate the ASMR market, to what makes her dog an adorable little freak and how you know if you’re shy. This is a book about the unspoken trick mirror of our “good” intentions: the inherent performance of the social media apology, celebrating men when they do the bare minimum, and why we trust a Midwesterner to watch our stuff when we go pee.

Throughout, she ponders her identity as an Asian woman and asks what “nice” even means—and why anyone would want to be it. With writing that is as precise as it is profound, and cultural references that range from trash reality television to the New York Times Sunday-morning crossword puzzle, Mercado uncovers weird, long-overdue truths about our frailties and failings. In the end, she sees them not as a source of shame but as a cause for celebration. Filled with revelations that range from the silly to the serious,

She’s Nice Though offers a mind-bending glimpse into the illusions and delusions of contemporary life—and reveals who we *really* are when no one is watching.

©2022 Mia Mercado (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

Light hearted read

I heard a little blurb (on KCRW radio station in Los Angeles/Santa Monica) of the writer being interviewed, and took a chance on this book. If you are older than the writer, many references may go over your head. I was hoping there would be more chapters about the writers thoughts and experiences on being nice, people pleasing, confidence and the negative side effects of being too nice. Many chapters are loaded with younger pop culture references in chapters that don't seem to go anywhere, that I could not personally relate to.( I'm 47 years old). Maybe these chapters seemed off topic, as a lot of this book read like a diary, however I did laugh a few times at her candor and it read fairly easily. Maybe I misunderstood the interview, so take this review with a grain of salt.

Clever, relatable, heartfelt, and honest - how to be Midwestern

What even is “good” and “nice”? As a fellow Midwestern gal, I never spent too much time thinking about it. I love rules and following them, social graces and doing the “right” thing. I also love La Croix. Thank you, Mia, for sharing your ponderings on all of the above, how we relate to them in our daily lives, and all the gross (in the best way) moments in between.

I was too old for this book

I heard an interview with the author on NPR and identifying with her, I decided to get the book. I think I’m about 10 years too old for this and most of the essays. While somewhere enjoyable, some just fell flat with me. I could see that this narrator would be good for voices in a story, but was a little too cutesy and precious for reading straight essays.