It’s not even about feminism per se, it’s about humanity and empathy." It just shows what it’s like to move through the world as a woman.
A Time magazine reviewer dubbed Bad Feminist "a manual on how to be human," and called Gay the "gift that keeps on giving." In a 2014 interview with the magazine, Gay explained her role as a feminist, and how it has influenced her writing: "In each of these essays, I’m very much trying to show how feminism influences my life for better or worse. Gay's collection of essays, Bad Feminist, was released in 2014 to widespread acclaim it addresses both cultural and political issues, and became a New York Times best-seller.
An Untamed State is often referred to as a fairy tale because of its structure and style, especially in reference to the opening sentence, "Once upon a time, in a far-off land, I was kidnapped by a gang of fearless yet terrified young men with so much impossible hope beating inside their bodies it burned their very skin and strengthened their will right through their bones," and the author's exploration of the American dream and courtship of Mireille's parents. The novel explores the interconnected themes of race, privilege, sexual violence, family, and the immigrant experience. In 2014, Gay published her debut novel, An Untamed State, which centers around Mireille Duval Jameson, a Haitian-American woman who is kidnapped for ransom.