smrankin5's review
2.0
I heard an interview with Caitlan on Fresh Air and I loved it. Couldn't wait to read the book.
In the end, the rating had less to do with content, and more to do with style. I am not a traditionalist, but this was too confusing and difficult to follow, it was like listening to someone talk who had OD'd on caffeine. Scattershot.
In the end, the rating had less to do with content, and more to do with style. I am not a traditionalist, but this was too confusing and difficult to follow, it was like listening to someone talk who had OD'd on caffeine. Scattershot.
rovingrhea's review
3.0
This book is a witty, straight forward, easy read. Great memoir (which it isn't, but as well could be), goes through a lot of subjects, criticizes and makes fun of things that more people should criticize and make fun of. I enjoyed it, and I'd believe most people will, but if you're looking for a serious feminist "lets fix this shit!" book, this is not it.
nyssahhhh's review against another edition
5.0
p. 140: "Along with underwear, love is a woman's work. Women are to be fallen in love with. When we discuss the great tragedies that can possibly befall a woman, once we have discounted war and injury, it is the idea of being unloved and therefore unwanted, that we wince over the most. ... Language tells us exactly what we think of the unattached woman--it's all there in the difference between 'bachelors' and 'spinsters.' Bachelors have it all to play for. spinsters must play for it all, and fast. The market demand tells you a woman's value: if she is single, she is unwanted, and therefore--should this state of affairs go on for any length of time--less desirable.
so given the importance women know is attached to them being attached, it is little wonder that women are obsessed with the idea of love and relationships."
p. 166: "Any action a woman engages in from a spirit of joy, and within a similarly safe and joyous environment, falls within the city walls of feminism. A girl has a right to dance how she wants when her favorite record comes on."
so given the importance women know is attached to them being attached, it is little wonder that women are obsessed with the idea of love and relationships."
p. 166: "Any action a woman engages in from a spirit of joy, and within a similarly safe and joyous environment, falls within the city walls of feminism. A girl has a right to dance how she wants when her favorite record comes on."
olivialucy's review
3.0
Parts of this were great and parts were VERY dated and felt a bit cringe.
I laughed a lot at this book and loved the candid way adolescence and young adulthood were talked about.
It certainly is a good read but perhaps a bit outdated?
3*
I laughed a lot at this book and loved the candid way adolescence and young adulthood were talked about.
It certainly is a good read but perhaps a bit outdated?
3*
karatechoptime's review
4.0
Funny, a little crass, a little controversial, whip smart feminism. I enjoyed it. I did this one on audiobook and her voice leant so much to the experience.
cathsgraphs's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t enjoy this book nearly as much as I did her “how to build a girl” book. Meh. Writing style meh and her views on feminism I could only kind of agree with. I was unengaged and only finished because I wanted it off my shelf.
Her chapter on abortion was excellent though- I really appreciated the way she wrote with candour and without fear. I’ll give her a high five for that one.
Her book also made me want to read more about lady Gaga.
Her chapter on abortion was excellent though- I really appreciated the way she wrote with candour and without fear. I’ll give her a high five for that one.
Her book also made me want to read more about lady Gaga.
buntyskid's review
5.0
I am so glad that Caitlin Moran exists. And that this BOOK Exists. Caitlin is Funny, astute, and sensible about life, herself, marriage, motherhood, poverty, feminism, culture, and she has one of the best critiques on uncomfortable women's shoes ever. This book should be required reading for all humans living in the 21st century.
julie8483's review
1.0
Casually racist and transphobic. I'm confused by the critical reaction to this book and how "this is what feminism needs right now" (The Guardian) or how it "is precisely what feminism has been waiting for" (Times Literary Supplement). It's not feminism if it isn't inclusive, representing women that aren't white, straight, cisgender, able-bodied and middle-class. For someone that wrote a chapter on the harmful connotation of the word "fat", she's sure okay using slurs such as the r-word and the t-word to make a shitty joke. Also, she praises Rudy Giuliani's "Zero Tolerance" policy and how "crime dropped dramatically, significantly, and continued to for the next ten years" (pg. 13), a statement that is completely ignorant to the concept of mass incarceration. Little evidence supports the claimed effectiveness of zero-tolerance policies. It may seem to some like I'm being nitpicky or PC, but this woman has been heralded as a figure-head of feminism. This book is peak White Feminism.
mjcole85's review
1.0
Stopped about halfway through and couldn't finish this book. I really tried to get into it since it had gotten such good reviews (from peers). However, if I wanted to get preached at I would rather watch an episode of Dollhouse, Buffy or anything by Sorkin and it would have been done with more entertainment value and elegance. I hate when authors / people in general talk at you. That was this whole book (what I read of it).
I am a feminist and I dislike this book.
I am a feminist and I dislike this book.