No Sense in Wishing - by Lawrence Burney (Hardcover)

About the Book

"An 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. For fans of Hanif Abdurraqib, Kiese Laymon, and Isaac Fitzgerald. There 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 No Sense in Wishing, 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. In 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. Taking us on a journey from the streets of Baltimore to the concert halls of Lagos, No Sense in Wishing 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"-- Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

"Among the most profound and dazzling debuts I've ever read." --Kiese Laymon, award-winning author of Heavy: An American Memoir

An 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.

There 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 No Sense in Wishing, 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.

In 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.

Taking us on a journey from the streets of Baltimore to the concert halls of Lagos, No Sense in Wishing 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.

Review Quotes

"Fluent, sometimes nerdy, and often funny observations about the power of art to add meaning to one's life." --Kirkus (starred review)

"A frank and joyous celebration of Black art as well as a musical coming-of-age story." --Booklist

"No Sense in Wishing is a sharp, reflective mix of cultural criticism, history, and memoir--a vivid look at a life shaped by hip-hop. Lawrence traces how a handful of artists reshaped his world, capturing the precise way a song's groove can shake your soul and stay with you for a lifetime. His stories move like the rhythm of a great beat." --Clover Hope, Journalist and author of The Motherlode: 100+ Women Who Made Hip-Hop

"No Sense In Wishing is a stunning, richly intimate tapestry of affections that, most importantly, does incredible work to pay close attention to the people, things, and places that might otherwise be looked over. Through this, and within these pages, dignity is afforded to an interior world--and how grateful readers should be for that." --Hanif Abdurraqib, New York Times bestselling author of There's Always This Year and A Little Devil in America

"No Sense In Wishing is among the most profound and dazzling debuts I've ever read. Lawrence Burney writes at once like a rusty-knuckled Southern gardener and a skilled Northern conjurer of the nth degree. The work here is provocative, yet firmly rooted in the exciting fringes of traditions yet to be named. No Sense in Wishing might actually do more for understanding how Baltimore, Maryland is, and what is actually happening in that beautifully black Northern Southern city. I'm absolutely shook at how good the book-making here is." --Kiese Laymon, bestselling author of Heavy: An American Memoir

"Cutting and clarifying in equal measure, Burney's essays combine sharp cultural analysis with lucid selfexamination, resulting in a lively collection that slots comfortably alongside the work of writers like Hanif Abdurraqib. Readers will be rapt." --Publisher's Weekly

"For the last few years, I thought I was in need of a new cultural critic to cleave to--until I read Lawrence Burney's work and realized I wasn't in search of a critic at all. Instead, I was looking for more of a cultural ambassador. Someone wrestling, not with what they hate but with what they love, and trying to display these touchpoints of adoration, no matter how complicated they may be, for the world to see. That's what No Sense In Wishing is. A series of billboards. Better yet, a collection of love letters with Burney at the helm, not just as pen and hand, but also as the heart unabashedly beating this new rhythm. This is truly a gift." --Jason Reynolds, MacArthur Genius Grant recipient and #1 New York Times bestselling author of Look Both Ways

About the Author

Lawrence Burney is a writer, critic, and the founder of True Laurels, an independent magazine covering Baltimore's music and culture scene. His work has appeared in publications such as New York magazine, GQ, and Pitchfork. He has also worked at The Fader, VICE, and The Baltimore Banner. No Sense in Wishing is his first book. Follow him on Instagram and X @TrueLaurels.