Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me

Because I loved Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More, I jumped at the chance to read Janet Mock’s second book, Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me. I did not think that in a little over two years, I could forget so much, but I did. At the end of the book, Mock clarifies that while she was going over some events that were referenced in her debut autobiography, her second book includes details that were omitted in the first. Once I read that disclaimer, I immediately wished that she had placed this passage earlier in the book so I would not feel discombobulated as if I needed to reread. Unfortunately I think that this minor flaw affected my ability to really get into her book.
Whereas Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More predominantly addresses her childhood, Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me does what the title states, describes her life as a young woman. The beginning is a little adjective heavy for my taste. I got a lot of descriptions of flowing hair and hard bodies, which is fine if I was prepared to read a romance novel, but I did not expect quite as many physical details in an autobiography. I am delighted that Mock and everyone that she knows is hot, but there was a point when I almost lost the thread of where we were in the story because of the quantity of descriptions. I am a fan of the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella so I preferred the gratuitous images of my hometown so when Mock moves to New York City, it feels like a more sensible and realistic version of that.
Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me really resonated with me when she compared and contrasted societal expectations/images with her real life experiences as a college student, a roommate to strangers at a new apartment, finding internships and jobs, which differed because of her racial, gender, and socio-economic identities. For instance, because her family lives in Hawaii, and travel is expensive, her mom could not help her move in to college or first apartment in New York City whereas I have taken my mom’s proximity for granted. Her insight into the publishing industry should be required reading for anyone interested in writing for a magazine. Any woman of color will appreciate her insight into office dynamics, specifically the “crooked room.”
I’m in my forties and can be a curmudgeon when it comes to romance (if I’m not watching a rom com, give me a story about a couple that has been together for ages—THAT is romance) so Surpassing Certainty: What My Twenties Taught Me is not really for me. Even so, I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of Mock’s work in the future. I think that the essential takeaway of her second book is no matter what, you must face the inevitable, refuse to compromise, be true to yourself and move forward even if your feelings still linger in another time, place or person.