Kushner Recalls Berkeley Roots and the Power of Relentless Observation
Source: nytimes.com
- Rachel Kushner graduated from UC Berkeley at age 22 after enrolling at 16, studying political economy in the Rhetoric Department.
- Her 2025 commencement speech for Rhetoric and Film & Media graduates inspired this reflection on how Berkeley taught her to observe the world deeply.
- She credits the university's intellectual culture with shaping her writing career and novels like The Flamethrowers and Creation Lake.
Rachel Kushner looks back at her time as a young undergrad at UC Berkeley, where she discovered the thrill of scrutinizing everyday life. The piece stems from her speech to the 2025 Rhetoric and Film & Media graduates. It shows how that early training in observation fueled her path to becoming a prize-winning novelist.