{"product_id":"no-sense-in-wishing-lawrence-burney-9781797196473","title":"No Sense in Wishing: Essays","description":"\u003cb\u003eA BEST BOOK OF 2025: \u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e- \u003ci\u003eVulture\u003c\/i\u003e -\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e\"Earnest and engaging.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \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 \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\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. 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, \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\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Lawrence Burney\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1797196472\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781797196473\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Simon \u0026amp; Schuster Audio\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 07\/08\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e CD","brand":"Lawrence Burney","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":48445754704127,"sku":"9781797196473","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_78dc8b21-22d8-47ad-9450-f2f9032d1fa5.jpg?v=1777220429","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/no-sense-in-wishing-lawrence-burney-9781797196473","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}