A review by sydneyodear
Shrill by Lindy West

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.