How To Be a Woman, by Caitlin Moran

5/5

Caitlin Moran’s book How To Be a Woman, is part memoir, part plea to all women to be true to themselves, not accept sexist double standards and basically use their common sense.

Ebury Press, 2011 paperback edition, 320 pages - personal library

It’s a book that both women and men should read, and it is accessible and enjoyable for men too – I tried it out on my other half! The experience of reading this book is a bit like having an older, wiser big sister telling you her view of life.

It’s opinionated, passionate and very funny. It’s the right conversation to be having now. Even if it is more autobiography and a bit of a rant than being a careful exploration of feminist theory, it is a book that challenges all the stupid things that women are told (and tell themselves) with a big bucketful of humour and for that, I love Caitlin Moran. I lost count of the times I chuckled out loud reading this on public transport. I only hope that the people giving me baffled looks went and got themselves a copy! Not everyone will agree with everything Moran says, and as my boyfriend pointed out she does go a little bit off the boil (slightly more rant and less logic) towards the middle of the book, but that’s exactly what I like about her – she just tells it as she sees it in a funny and also poignant way.

An absolute tonic.

Have you read How To Be a Woman? Have you read any books recently that made you laugh out loud?