Scan barcode
Reviews
You Don't Have to Like Me: Essays on Growing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding Feminism by Alida Nugent
akgirl907's review
5.0
This book was so good and I couldn't seem to put it down! This book had me continuously laughing and completely relating to it. It has also made me learn that other women aren't our enemies and that female friends are a good thing to have.
kenzbaldwin's review
3.0
Probably would have made a bigger impact if I read this in my early 20s. As someone closer to 30...it just felt repetitive of lessons I’ve already learned and grew from. She’s still a great writer, but it wasn’t for me.
jennagrace_m's review
5.0
I just really loved this. I've been reading a lot of feminist books and essays this summer, and this one was my favorite. It's not necessarily groundbreaking, but it's relatable, laugh-out-loud funny in parts, and heartbreakingly poignant in others. Importantly, Alida's take on feminism is a lot more inclusive than some of the other books I've read.
lesbrary's review
3.0
This was an enjoyable read, but it focuses on a presentation of being a woman that I did not relate to at all (straight and stereotypically feminine). Which is fine, it's just not me. Though she does sometimes acknowledge queer women, the framework is really around the experience of straight women.
I also find it funny when books like this try to convince you to be a feminist. I feel like 95% of the people picking up a book on finding feminism are already feminist.
This would be a good book to give to a teen girl who's unfamiliar with feminism, and it did make me laugh out loud multiple times. And it does tackle things like eating disorders and racism very well.
I also find it funny when books like this try to convince you to be a feminist. I feel like 95% of the people picking up a book on finding feminism are already feminist.
This would be a good book to give to a teen girl who's unfamiliar with feminism, and it did make me laugh out loud multiple times. And it does tackle things like eating disorders and racism very well.
balletbookworm's review
4.0
Really solid collection of essays about how Nugent came to define herself as a feminist and how she is still working on it. She covers much of the same ground as Roxane Gay (whose [b:Bad Feminist|18813642|Bad Feminist|Roxane Gay|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1421292744s/18813642.jpg|26563816] gets a shout-out) but has some different angles to the same topic. Namely: we still keep needing to say why feminism is so important because we're still fighting for women to be treated as intelligent human beings.
Fave essays were "Shrink", "Feral", and "Does This Skirt Make Me Look Feminist?"
Fave essays were "Shrink", "Feral", and "Does This Skirt Make Me Look Feminist?"
ashleyholstrom's review
4.0
This book is important and told through the eyes of a sassy 20something who knows she's made mistakes, and will keep making mistakes, on her way to finding feminism. Every essay resonated with me and my own path to feminism — and likely does for every other young woman who reads this.
Nugent’s voice is excellent, and she puts to words the things women deal with every day that we maybe don’t even think about. Like comments from older women about our bodies and our makeup and our hair and our lack of babies and our lack of husbands and whatever else we are supposed to do as women.
So go. Read it. Soak up the stories, the advice, and the call to action. It's important.
Part of my not-so-accidental month of feminist reading at Book Riot.
Nugent’s voice is excellent, and she puts to words the things women deal with every day that we maybe don’t even think about. Like comments from older women about our bodies and our makeup and our hair and our lack of babies and our lack of husbands and whatever else we are supposed to do as women.
So go. Read it. Soak up the stories, the advice, and the call to action. It's important.
Part of my not-so-accidental month of feminist reading at Book Riot.
stabaquail's review
5.0
Alida's kind of feminism is my kind of feminism. From the very first page, I felt myself nodding enthusiastically along to everything she said. I think it is especially important for women to know that liking makeup or fashion does not make you less of a feminist, just as not liking these things doesn't make you more of one. The important message here is that feminism is about women making their own personal decisions. Is it feminist to get married? It sure can be! Is it feminist to shave my cooch? Sure, if it's your personal preference! Because I feel much the same way about many things as Alida does and because I read her blog regularly, I at times felt she was preaching to the choir a bit, and found myself skimming some pages. But to someone more confused about the parameters of feminism, I think the this book could extremely valuable and empowering. Well done, Alida!
paigewetzel's review
4.0
I really enjoyed Nugent's voice and how much I could relate to her as a woman of my generation. I think she really nails many of the struggles young adult women face in the world, even if we don't always realize it ourselves. Her stories are funny yet poignant, some light-hearted and some more serious. I would certainly recommend this to people, especially young women, looking to expand their understanding of how those identifying and/or presenting as women often go through the world. Nugent's experiences are certainly unique to her, but her voice makes the experiences accessible and easy to learn from. She opens the door for us to embrace the struggles against the patriarchy but to also feel our own strength in the process.
devanh's review
3.0
Some great little essays, a couple of strong points that made me think and one "oh my god" moment for me.