

She’s a sociologist who balances a remarkably active research program and university teaching with guest appearances on Fresh Air and The Daily Show.

This is to be expected, as McMillan Cottom generally defies single categories and genres in ways that have simultaneously helped her public image and given ammunition to academic gatekeepers.

Yet, as the author Tressie McMillan Cottom asserts, the category of personal essay does not adequately capture her writing style or approach. THICK IS A COLLECTION of essays that deals with very personal issues, including body image, sexual abuse, and the loss of a child.
