I Turned To ‘Quit Lit’ For Help, And It Made Me Wonder: Is Sobriety Only For White Women?
Cut to 2023, and you’ll find that a subtle, all-things-Black malaise has settled over white society. White women have swivelled their considerable buying power toward books about other topics, including a new genre of storytelling that focuses on alcohol dependence. According to a Washington Post article from January, books targeting women who want to examine their drinking are numerous enough to have acquired a quippy category label: “quit lit.” When one looks up quit lit for women, you’ll find heavy hitters such as Glennon Doyle’s “Carry On, Warrior: The Power of Embracing Your Messy, Beautiful Life”; Holly Whitaker’s “Quit Like A Woman”; and “The Unexpected Joy of Being Sober” by Catherine Gray. Other notable authors that pop up immediately include Belle Robertson, Clare Pooley, Laura McKowen, Annie Grace, and Sarah Hepola.