I Want to Burn This Place Down
A debut essay collection by the inimitable cultural critic Maris Kreizman—an introspective, searing account of the life experiences that have pushed this former “good Democrat” even further to the political left
At the heart of this funny, acerbic, and bravely honest book of essays is Maris Kreizman, a former rule follower and ambition monster who once believed the following truths to be self-evident: that working very hard would lead to admission to a good college, which would lead to a good job at a good company, which would then lead to personal fulfillment and a sense of purpose, along with adequate health care and eventual home ownership and plenty of money waiting in a retirement account. Like any good Democrat and feminist, she believed that if she just worked hard and played by the rules, she was guaranteed a safe and comfortable life.
Now in her forties, the only thing Maris Kreizman knows for sure is that she no longer has faith in American institutions or any of their hollow promises. Now she knows that the rules are meant to serve some folks better than others; and, actually, they serve no one all that well—not even Kreizman. Disturbed by the depth and scope of the liberal myths in which she once so fervently believed, Kreizman takes readers on an intimate journey that revisits some of her most profound revelations, demonstrating that it’s never too late to become radicalized.
With Kreizman’s signature wit and blunt self-reflection, and more than a little transformative rage, I Want to Burn This Place Down is a book for anyone who wishes they could go back in time to give their younger selves the real truth about the fractured country they have inherited—and the encouragement to rebuild something better in its place.
Available July 1, 2025
Praise for I Want to Burn This Place Down
A TIME Must-Read of 2025
“Maris Kreizman is an indispensable cultural commentator and a custodian of shared memories — Snackwells, Gap fragrances, and that 9/11 Jack Welch cutout. A voice both familiar and full of verve.”
— Patricia Lockwood, author of No One is Talking About This
“What happens when we move from admitting America is no longer working to actively holding it accountable? I Want to Burn This Place Down is Maris Kreizman’s smart, humane and utterly reasonable response to a country that has refused to care for the majority of its citizens—even the ones we are told it favors. In this timely collection of essays, Kriezman has given us a poignant testimonial to her own disillusionment and a powerful indictment of the capitalist cruelty that has brought us to this point.”
— Mira Jacob, author of Good Talk
“In this funny, lucid, and heartfelt collection, Kreizman succinctly articulates the predicament of losing faith in the institutions one was raised to have faith in, and presents a heartening and plausible pathway to a more awakened relationship to everything from western medicine to policing to the publishing industry.”
— Melissa Febos, author of The Dry Season and Girlhood, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Criticism
“The book we need right now.”
— Jami Attenberg, author of A Reason to See You Again
“It’s the writing that makes it sing… Along with righteous anger, there’s plenty of sweetness… an intelligent and entertaining read.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“A must read.”
— NPR
"If you're a rule-follower watching our current political and social moment with goggle-eyed disbelief, this incisive essay collection about the way the American Dream hasn't quite panned out (and maybe was only ever meant to benefit a chosen few) will be a balm for your soul."
— People, Best Nonfiction Books of Summer 2025
“What unites these thought-provoking, heartfelt essays is Kreizman’s clear commitment to dissecting and openly sharing all the ways she’s felt let down by the institutions she once trusted — something we can all relate to.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
"In this new essay collection, Kreizman, a fervent Democrat, recounts how her increasing disillusionment with the American government pushed her even further to the left. Deftly weaving in her own experiences of trying to manage her diabetes and achieve financial security, which seems to be increasingly elusive, Kreizman takes aim at institutionalized misogyny, the mishandling of the climate crisis, corporate capitalism, and a fraught health-care system."
— Harper's Bazaar
"Incendiary"
—Associated Press
Maris Kreizman
Maris Kreizman is an essayist and critic with a bi-weekly column about books and the publishing industry at LitHub whose work has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The LA Times, Vanity Fair, BuzzFeed, The Atlantic, Esquire, The New Republic, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, The Ringer, GQ, Publishers Weekly, Smithsonian, Town & Country, and more.
Her essay collection, I Want To Burn This Place Down, was published in July 2025 by Ecco/HarperCollins. She hosted The Maris Review, an intimate literary podcast in which she interviewed her favorite authors about their latest books, from 2018-2023, and now runs a newsletter of the same name.
She’s the creator of Slaughterhouse 90210, a blog and book (Flatiron Books, 2015) that celebrates the intersection of literature and pop culture. She was previously the editorial director of Book of the Month, the editorial director of digital content at B&N.com, and a publishing outreach lead at Kickstarter.
She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, her dog, and her books.