SKU: 35121490772

I'm Telling the Truth, But I'm Lying: Essays

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I'm Telling the Truth, But I'm Lying: EssaysINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying Bassey Ikpi explores her life as a Nigerian American immigrant, a black woman, a slam poet, a mother, a daughter, an artist through the lens of her mental health and diagnosis of bipolar II and anxiety. Her remarkable memoir in essays implodes our preconceptions of the mind and normalcy as Bassey bares her own truths and lies for us all to behold with radical honesty and brutal

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

In I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying Bassey Ikpi explores her life--as a Nigerian-American immigrant, a black woman, a slam poet, a mother, a daughter, an artist--through the lens of her mental health and diagnosis of bipolar II and anxiety. Her remarkable memoir in essays implodes our preconceptions of the mind and normalcy as Bassey bares her own truths and lies for us all to behold with radical honesty and brutal intimacy.

A The Root Favorite Books of the Year - A Good Housekeeping Best 60 Books of the Year - A YNaija 10 Notable Books of the Year - A GOOP 10 New Favorite Books - A Cup of Jo 5 Big Books of Fall - A Bitch Magazine Most Anticipated Books of 2019 - A Bustle 21 New Memoirs That Will Inspire, Motivate, and Captivate You - A Publishers Weekly Spring Preview Selection - An Electric Lit 48 Books by Women and Nonbinary Authors of Color to Read in 2019 - A Bookish Best Nonfiction of Summer Selection

We will not think or talk about mental health or normalcy the same after reading this momentous art object moonlighting as a colossal collection of essays." --Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy

From her early childhood in Nigeria through her adolescence in Oklahoma, Bassey Ikpi lived with a tumult of emotions, cycling between extreme euphoria and deep depression--sometimes within the course of a single day. By the time she was in her early twenties, Bassey was a spoken word artist and traveling with HBO's Def Poetry Jam, channeling her life into art. But beneath the fa ade of the confident performer, Bassey's mental health was in a precipitous decline, culminating in a breakdown that resulted in hospitalization and a diagnosis of Bipolar II.

In I'm Telling the Truth, But I'm Lying, Bassey Ikpi breaks open our understanding of mental health by giving us intimate access to her own. Exploring shame, confusion, medication, and family in the process, Bassey looks at how mental health impacts every aspect of our lives--how we appear to others, and more importantly to ourselves--and challenges our preconception about what it means to be normal. Viscerally raw and honest, the result is an exploration of the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of who we are--and the ways, as honest as we try to be, each of these stories can also be a lie.

--Caroline Kepnes, author of You and Hidden Bodies

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 08/20/2019
ISBN: 9780062698346
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.44lbs
Size: 7.90h x 5.30w x 0.60d

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 03/01/2019 pg. 95
Library Journal 06/01/2019 pg. 109
Publishers Weekly 06/03/2019
Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2019
Booklist 07/01/2019 pg. 14
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SKU: 35121490772

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4bonbon
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 1
Tip will not stay saturated with color
Color: Honey Brown, Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)
This is a pen with a nice felt tip. First time I used it, it glided on nicely. Second time used about it a week later, tip was dry and no matter how I tried, it would not saturate and provided no color. I even tried storing it with the tip facing down to make the color flood to the tip, but even after several days of standing it up that way, tip was still dry. What a waste of money. I just ordered their Easy Brow and Fill Tool, which is a stick of color that winds in and out and so far like it very much. Would recommend that and not this ink pen.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2022
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Lisa Gagliardi
New York, US
★★★★★ 5
Always Perfect!
Color: Rich Brown, Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)
The best brow liner I have ever used. My eyebrows have thinned over the years because of a thyroid condition and I have been drawing them on since I had was in my thirties. I believe it really retains my youth and the fact that this is a liquid helps me keep the hairs in place that I already have up there. I do not go anywhere without my eyebrow liner. Add this to your makeup kit! You will thank me.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2026
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Tracy
Omaha, US
★★★★★ 5
Easy To Use
Color: Soft Brown, Size: 1 Count (Pack of 1)
Easy to use. Looks natural. Great product. I definitely recommend it.
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Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2025
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Kathryn Roberts
Draper, US
★★★★★ 5
Great Brow Pen
Color: Dark Brown, Color: Dark Brown
I love this brow pen; it’s my favorite brow product I’ve ever used. If you aren’t already here because of Katie Jane Hughes on Instagram, I recommend searching her (@katiejanehughes) and she has an instastory highlight about how she uses this pen. I find it’s extremely important to store these pens upside down to allow the “ink” to travel down to the brush, and also to keep the brush pointed down as you use feathering strokes to paint the shape and hairs you want. The faster you work, the better; some people say the pen dries out, though I find I have plenty of time for both brows, especially if I’m using more than one color. You don’t need to use a primer in advance of using these pens (some peoples he trouble if they DO use primer; something about the slippiness makes it difficult for the pen to stick. I’ve never had that issue myself but if you’re struggling try without primer). I also tend to use a brow gel on top of this, but only to wrangle my brow hairs into one direction. You certainly don’t need to. I’ve attached some swatches, since I had a really hard time finding any online. The main difference between “soft black” and “dark brown” is that the dark brown has a warm undertone and is much more opaque than soft black in my opinion. The idea is to use short, light strokes to apply this, so nothing will be too strong unless you want it to be. I tend to go in with soft black first to get the shape I want at the arch and to do some filling in, then I use medium brown on the inside of my brows and also to fill in, and then I use dark brown last just where I need some extra coverage. I certainly don’t recommend being this extra; I bought the colors to see what they looked like and found that I like the dimension of using multiples and also that it helps ensure my pens don’t dry out at an inopportune time.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2019
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Ren
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
my Holy Grail Brow product thank you Katie Jane Hughes
Color: Medium Brown
This is my 3rd or 4th? re-order. I don't know what I will do if it gets discontinued for any reason:( I have very sparse , light brows. This is the only thing in the world that has ever let me make realistic brow hairs, with a small learning curve that don't look drawn on, or fade during the day. The pen will dry out if not left stored upside down. It lasts me at least a few months. I'm always ordering another one before it runs out just so that I'll have a back up. Thank you allure! Glossier has a version of this, but it's less product for more money and the tip isn't a thin as this one. I have even ordered this for friends, it's that good.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2020

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