13/06/2024
"There are versions of ourselves most of us don’t let the world see. They’re the versions eating fast food burgers in the car, unclogging the work toilet, losing sleep remembering moments when we were most ashamed of our bodies. They’re maligned stepchildren and outsiders; adults who relish in nostalgia because trading cards, collectible stickers, and pro wrestling magazines aren’t so much reminders of a happy youth as old lifelines. Josh Olsen’s Things You Never Knew Existed takes up residence in this space of underemployment and adult disillusionment, yes, but its essays also reveal insight into the value of obscure, small pleasures with an unyielding eye for detail, pervasive humor, and a profound sense of empathy. One essay recalls watching an old wrestler nicknamed The Hammer search for an old action figure of himself, perhaps aware of how much he shares with an old doll—worn down, smudged, and cast aside by people younger than him, people grown up. Olsen nails this portrait of The Hammer like he nails so much else in this unforgettable collection."—Michael Chin, author of My Grandfather's an Immigrant, and So Is Yours and Stories Wrestling Can Tell
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