Reviews

Shrill by Lindy West

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luminous's review against another edition

5.0

I knew I would at minimum enjoy this book at least somewhat. But I never imagined it would speak to me and my heart, that it would resonate, and that it would not only make me laugh but also cry. West is almost preternaturally self-aware, and seems to be always capable of summoning what are, to me, astonishing amounts of empathy. Most of these essays are excellent. A few are somewhat slow going. But overall, what a collection.

P. S. She quotes Molly Ivins, which makes her okay in my book.

sydneyodear's review against another edition

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4.0

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that "Shrill" is the first book I've read that is written by a fat woman who explicitly writes about her experience of being fat (among other topics discussed in this memoir), and I enjoyed it immensely and appreciated West's vulnerability and humor. I listened to the audiobook, which West herself reads, and her voice often made the book even more hilarious and/or moving. I recommend it. Above all, however, I was struck by West's work as a comedian-turned-comedy critic and the way she pushed back against the prevalence of rape jokes with a victim as the punchline in comedy. As someone who has been on Twitter for too damn long, I remember these discussions, but they just felt normal at the time. That's not to say they didn't feel bad and dehumanizing, because they did, but pushing back against bad and dehumanizing standards was just a part of being a female freshman in college in 2015 (and it still is, unfortunately). It's remarkable to look back on this moment through the lens of Harvey Weinstein's demise and the #MeToo movement and to be able to appreciate both what has changed and what has not regarding discussions around rape and rape culture. There's no denial that West's critiques played a part in that cultural shift towards taking rape seriously, and I'm grateful for it and for her reflections on how that kind of work takes a personal toll.

bikes_books_yarn's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

meagansevern's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

thepetitepunk's review against another edition

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I was a bit thrown off by Shrill at the beginning because I wasn’t expecting so much humor. I typically do not encounter consistent humor in the books I read and certainly not in any of the memoirs I’ve read. I actually almost stopped listening to the audiobook because I’m so unused to humor being incorporated in books covering serious topics, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well the humor worked as a story-telling device.

Shrill has changed my view on what a memoir can be. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in fat shaming, body image, feminism, and just memoirs in general. Surprisingly fun (yet emotional and saddening too, of course) for a memoir about such deep topics!

tildahlia's review against another edition

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3.0

Enjoy Lindy West's whip-smart writing, but found this book lumpy. There were some great chapters (the writing around rape culture was a standout), others were readable but meh, and others spent too much time recounting things I've already heard/seen in other formats (for example, the This American Life story about her troll). Can't help but feel there were some missed opportunities in this book.