SPOILERS AHEAD
Chee's essay collection, though framed as a craft book, is most alive when he isn't giving writing advice at all. In fact, his two essays dedicated to the writing process (one of which being the namesake of the collection) bring the momentum he builds in the other pieces to a halt.
From his discussions about being mixed race from an immigrant family (both living in America and Korea), his advocacy involvement in the AIDS/HIV crisis, being in NYC during 9/11, to his healing journey explored through writing and therapy, Chee is excellent at showcasing his autobiographical prowess. Chee is unflinching looking inward as he does not skew occurrences to paint him in a more flattering light, using historical parallels to help make sense of his internal (and at times external) crises. He takes horrific truths and makes them digestible, but never comfortable. The primary theme of the entire collection is "complexity." According to Chee no one is a clear hero or villain, privileged or disadvantaged, or even fully aware of who they are and what they are doing with their lives (or how that affects their place in the world). We exist in these essays alongside Chee, drifting in that nebulous grayness.
The layout of the collection is predominantly chronological for the first half, but as the essays progress the timelines begin slipping into one another, not unlike how we tend to remember things ourselves. If anything, this collection is pieced together through patterns: historical, personal, traumatic, and observed.
