Judy Halebsky Ph.D.—Dominican University of California
“A powerful and dynamic speaker, Savala is a joy. Her lectures on the art and craft of writing offer serious insights on how to write and the interconnections of lived-experience and the creative process. At the same time, she’s warm, lighthearted and entertaining. She was also wonderfully generous with our students’ questions. We loved having her visit our program.”
Dr. Helen Hunt —Tennessee Tech University
“Savala was the most delightful, wonderful speaker. Her warm, magnetic presence engaged our students and community audience. She spoke so thoughtfully, exploring deep, difficult topics with a tenderness that left us both challenged and inspired.”
Leo Taylor —Ohio State University
“Through her masterful presentation and communication style, Savala exposes and critiques the insidious and often unnoticed manifestations of bias. Her style is equally powerful and approachable. I was deeply impacted by her presentation, our audience was extremely engaged, and we quickly invited Savala back for another talk.”
Seema Patel —Institute for Research on Labor and Employment & East Bay Community Law Center
“Savala is a luminary! With equal parts head and heart, she digs deeply into the trials and tribulations of family life, generational love, and social struggle. Her words are like sparks-they light up students’ minds. Indeed, in the end-of-semester survey, nearly every student mentioned Savala’s talk as being the most illuminating, memorable, and thought-provoking of the class.”
Sarah —Book Club Member
“Savala Nolan is a book club speaker who you wish could be a member of your book club—smartest person in the room, warm and funny, and able to draw everyone into the conversation. Not many people can talk about race, gender, and bodies and help people feel comfortable enough to open up and spill their own stories. Savala is that exceptional person.”
Jody —Book Club Member
“Savala’s intelligence, warmth, and experience illuminate and educated. She uses personal experiences to engage, rather than obscure, important issues, and her intimacy with her audience is magnetizing. Our whole group loved her grounded, wise, and humor-laced commentary and insights, especially around difficult issues like racism, sexism, and anti-fat bias. She made us allies instead of bystanders.”
The New York Times Book Review
“A standout collection…a brutal, beautifully rendered narrative.”
Kirkus Reviews
“An eloquently provocative memoir in essays…This fierce and intelligent book is important not just for how it celebrates hard-won pride in one’s identity, but also for how Nolan articulates the complicated—and too often overlooked—nature of personal and cultural in-betweenness.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“In 12 probing essays, Savala Nolan explores her intersectionality of race, gender and body awareness with an unflinching honesty that is both revelatory and unsettling. The essays are personal and confessional but informed by an awareness of larger historical narratives rooted in American culture.”
Roxane Gay
“I like the voice and intelligence with which these essays come together…A vibrant and thoughtful collection.”
Publishers Weekly
“A deeply personal debut collection…the mix of cultural criticism and thoughtful personal writing will be just right for fans of Roxane Gay.
Shondaland
Not only is Don’t Let It Get You Down an important read, but it is also a delightful one that shows just how multitalented and impressive the author is when taking on subjects that resonate inside of her but also in the bodies and minds of her readers as well.