Book 45 of the 50 Book Challenge

How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran, 313 pages

Started June 22nd, finished June 25th.

This was my first holiday read on a week away in Cyprus.  I've always enjoyed Caitlin Moran's columns and her twitter feed is one of my favourites.  She seems to have similar views to mine combined with a huge sense of fun.

This book is very graphic.  She doesn't seem to hide anything.  The honesty is shocking yet pulls you in at the same time.  We hear about her life from her early teens and everything involved along the way.  She doesn't put a nice sheen on anything.  You feel for her throughout the book, all women must have felt the same at some point.  She's only a year older than I am so there is a lot I can relate to there.  Though we've trodden very different paths in life.

She says what I feel about a lot of things with a much more coherent voice than I could ever manage.  She brings women back to feminism very well.  The crap written about how it has had its day is shown to be exactly that after reading this book.  She just wants equality, who doesn't?  She highlights the myth of 'earning money' makes us equal.  Her take on lap dancing is wonderful.  As is her view on Katie Price as a feminist ideal.  The best bit is she never lowers herself to attacking people.  She just holds up her thoughts and you can't help but agree.  This isn't a fight against anything it's aiming for a better life for women who don't want to be confined to a manufactured ideal that cost them both emotionally and financially.

The best bit for me was two consecutive chapters on 'Why Women Should Have Children' and 'Why Women Shouldn't Have Children'.  She makes a great case for both.  Pointing out that both is a lifestyle choice one shouldn't be chided for.  Music to my ears.

There are so many things she points out that women fret over.  Things that men wouldn't dream of spending time worrying about.  It's a revelation in every chapter.

She makes the point that women falling to the base level of behaviour we get from the worst men on a Staurday night isn't a feminist coup.  Ladette's weren't feminists, they put the movement back.  Making it wrong to be feminine, you had to be one of the lads.  You don't have to deny yourself to be accepted.

This is the best, most refreshing non-fiction book, I've read in a long time.  I'd recommend it to any woman and to many males too.  There's nothing to be frightened of in here.  It's an enlightening, very funny read.

5 out of 5 pawprints

Total so far, Books - 45 Pages - 13,195

Next - Gad's Hall by Norah Lofts