How to Be a Woman Review

Title: How to Be a Woman
Author: Caitlin Moran
Publisher: Ebury Press
Genre: Nonfiction

Blurb: Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them? Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother.

Me: I don't know if you know...but EMMA WATSON HAS A FEMINIST BOOK CLUB! If you didn't know, your life has now been enlightened. You're welcome. 

This was the first month I participated (granted, it has only been going on for two months). I was a little terrified by this book, but I thought I needed a proper lesson on how to be a woman. 

(I relate, Mia.) 

The Ups: This book is fearless. First, I really love the fact that Caitlin Moran makes it clear from the prologue: this is a book about her experiences with feminism. She knows that there are bigger issues pertaining to gender equality: education, health, and treatment in developing countries, definitely. But she believes feminism is just as important to the average girl in a more privileged society. With crazy anecdotes and hilarious references she livens up what could sound like a giant lecture...but instead is a more detailed sort of a TED talk. 

I was a little intimidated when I saw that she talked about abortion and body image as well as periods and puberty. Female problems can be gross...and uncomfortable. But what she says is really so so important. Women's pleasure should be respected just as much as men's. "Fat" and "feminism" shouldn't be taboo words. No other person should tell a woman what to do with her child, and what not to do. And most importantly, underwear should fit over our bums. (HONESTLY) 

I am a young, naive mind. I haven't experienced half (probably more) of the things that Moran mentions in this book. But I will someday, or I will be confronted with a completely different problem. I think that thanks to this book, I'll have some sense of what to do. Or if not, at least I'll know myself and what I'm capable of. 

The Downs: A small problem was that I didn't get a lot of the humor. A lot of British references, maybe? I don't know...but some of it wasn't registering. 

Another issue was that I did get bored of the tone and how everything was explained after a while. I found myself being in the middle of a chapter and just getting tired of reading the book. I think because the book is divided into chapters that are structured quite similarly (anecdote, statistics/facts, some lecturing) it could get a little tiring. 

Overall: True, funny, and straight to the point. Feminists, unite.

Rating: 4 kisses!