{"product_id":"no-sense-in-wishing-essays-9781668051856","title":"No Sense in Wishing: Essays","description":"\u003cb\u003e\"Among the most profound and dazzling debuts I've ever read.\" --Kiese Laymon, award-winning author of\u003ci\u003e Heavy: An American Memoir\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn essay collection from culture critic Lawrence Burney that is a personal and analytical look at his home city of Baltimore, music from throughout the global Black diaspora, and the traditions that raised him.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThere are moments throughout our lives when we discover an artist, an album, a film, or a cultural artifact that leaves a lasting impression, helping inform how we understand the world, and ourselves, moving forward. In \u003ci\u003eNo Sense in Wishing\u003c\/i\u003e, Lawrence Burney explores these profound interactions with incisive and energizing prose, offering us a personal and critical perspective on the people, places, music, and art that transformed him. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn a time when music is spearheading Black Americans' connection with Africans on The Continent, Burney takes trips to cover the bubbling creative scenes in Lagos and Johannesburg that inspire teary-eyed reflections of self and belonging. Seeing his mother perform as the opening act at a Gil Scott-Heron show as a child inspires an essay about parent-child relationships and how personal taste is often inherited. And a Maryland crab feast with family facilitates an assessment of how the Black people in his home state have historically improvised paths for their liberation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eTaking us on a journey from the streets of Baltimore to the concert halls of Lagos, \u003ci\u003eNo Sense in Wishing\u003c\/i\u003e is a kaleidoscopic exploration of Burney's search for self. With its gutsy and uncompromising criticism alongside intimate personal storytelling, it's like an album that hits all the right notes, from a promising writer on the rise.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Atria Books\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/08\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781668051856\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 256\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.13lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.83d","brand":"Lawrence Burney","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45370045628597,"sku":"9781668051856","price":25.49,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_6cd40574-48c8-4de0-8119-134635be7e9f.jpg?v=1747109320","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/no-sense-in-wishing-essays-9781668051856","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}