Reviews

Shrill: Women Are Funny, It's Okay to Be Fat, and Feminists Don't Have to Be Nice by Lindy West

smfrazer's review against another edition

5.0

There social justice, some tears, some laughing out loud - highly recommend

alayna017's review against another edition

3.0

I was hoping and expecting a more humorous book. Many of the topics were valid and Lindy West has a point of view that was different than my own. I read her book on movies and was expecting more of those essays. The one about her troll and troll in general, was the best.

chelstra's review against another edition

challenging funny informative fast-paced

4.75

emily0mcguire's review against another edition

5.0

This book is exactly what I needed at this moment. It felt validating and affirming while making me literally LOL. Thank you for writing it, Lindy.

lottpoet's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

4.25

knewberr's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.5

unhinged_female_protagonist's review against another edition

4.0

Funny and relatable.

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

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

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25