How to Be a Woman
How to Be a Woman book cover

How to Be a Woman

Paperback – July 17, 2012

Price
$15.85
Format
Paperback
Pages
320
Publisher
Harper Perennial
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0062124296
Dimensions
1 x 5.9 x 8.9 inches
Weight
12 ounces

Description

“It is bracing in this season of losing [Nora] Ephron to discover a younger feminist writer who scrimmages with the patriarchy and drop kicks zingers with comic flair….A must-read for anyone curious to find out just how very funny a self-proclaimed ‘strident feminist’ can be.” — Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air “A fresh, funny take on modern feminism that shines a light on issues facing every woman, lovingly boiled down to the basics with insight and humor.” — Today Show “Scathingly funny….Moran makes us think about femininity and feminism, and whether you agree or not, she’s fascinating.” — People “Caitlin Moran taught me more about being a woman than being a woman did. I’m pretty sure I had testicles before I read this book.” — Jenny Lawson, author of Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir “A glorious, timely stand against sexism so ingrained we barely even notice it. It is, in the dour language [Moran] militates so brilliantly against, a book that needed to be written.” — New York Times “The UK’s answer to Tina Fey, Chelsea Handler, and Lena Dunham all rolled into one.” — Marie Claire “Moran’s frank wit is appealing.” — The New Yorker “A hilarious neo-feminist manifesto….Moran reinvigorates women’s lib with her personal and political polemic.” — NPR.org “There is a good reason for [its success]: it is pretty phenomenal….[Moran] wrote the book in just 5 months….Chances are you’ll read it in far less time than that, turning down the corners of extra-resonating pages to come back to later.” — Jenn Doll, The Atlantic Wire “With her drunk-on-gin-with-my-lady-friends honesty and humor, Moran, a Times of London columnist, snips the man out of manifesto, spinning her message of radically sensible female empowerment.” — Vanity Fair.com “Bravely and brilliantly weaves personal anecdotes and cutting insight into a book that is at once instructional, confessional, and a call for change….Moran shifts effortlessly between her own hilarious experiences and larger questions about women’s place in the modern world.” — Interview Magazine “As funny and careerist as Tina Fey’s Bossypants , as divulging as Ayelet Waldman’s Bad Mother and as earthy as Cheryl Strayed’s Wild .” — Holloway McCandless, Shelf Awareness “Ingeniously funny….In her brilliant, original voice, Moran successfully entertains and enlightens her audience with hard-won wisdom and wit….She doesn’t politicize feminism; she humanizes it.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) “Caitlin Moran is so fabulous, so funny, so freshly feminist. I don’t want to be like her―I want to be her. But if I can’t, at least I can relish her book. You will, too.” — Peggy Orenstein, author of Cinderella Ate My Daughter “Her arguments are hilarious and spot on….This isn’t a self-help guide, and Moran’s not really telling you how to be a woman. Instead, she’s giving you permission to laugh: at ourselves, at her, and at anyone who think there’s only one way to be a woman.” — Shannon Carlin, Bust Magazine “How funny is Caitlin Moran’s neo-feminist manifesto and memoir, How to Be a Woman ? Don’t read it with a full bladder….You could spend a whole book group session flagging favorite lines…..There’s some comfort in Moran’s book coming out so soon after Nora Ephron’s death.” — Heller McAlpin, Barnes & Noble Review “A spirited memoir/manifesto….With equal amounts snarky brio and righteous anger….That such an important topic is couched in ribald humor makes reading about Moran’s journey hilarious as well as provocative….Rapturously irreverent, this book should kick-start plenty of useful discussions.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Caitlin Moran is a feminist heroine for our times. I can’t wait to give this book to my daughters.” — Zoë Heller, author of The Believers “Caitlin Moran is the profane, witty and wonky best friend I wish I had. She’s the feminist rock star we need right now; How to Be a Woman is an hilarious delight.” — Ayelet Waldman, author of Bad Mother Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them? Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from the riot of adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother. With rapier wit, Moran slices right to the truth—whether it's about the workplace, strip clubs, love, fat, abortion, popular entertainment, or children—to jump-start a new conversation about feminism. With humor, insight, and verve, How To Be a Woman lays bare the reasons why female rights and empowerment are essential issues not only for women today but also for society itself. Caitlin Moran’s debut book, How to Be a Woman , was an instant New York Times bestseller. Her first novel, How to Build a Girl , received widespread acclaim. She lives in London. You can follow Caitlin on Twitter: @caitlinmoran Read more

Features & Highlights

  • NEW YORK TIMES
  • BESTSELLER
  • The book that launched a feminist revolution—the hilarious memoir/manifesto from Caitlin Moran, "the UK's answer to Tina Fey, Chelsea Handler, and Lena Dunham all rolled into one" (
  • Marie Claire
  • ).
  • Though they have the vote and the Pill and haven't been burned as witches since 1727, life isn't exactly a stroll down the catwalk for modern women. They are beset by uncertainties and questions: Why are they supposed to get Brazilians? Why do bras hurt? Why the incessant talk about babies? And do men secretly hate them?
  • Caitlin Moran interweaves provocative observations on women's lives with laugh-out-loud funny scenes from her own, from the riot of adolescence to her development as a writer, wife, and mother. With rapier wit, Moran slices right to the truth—whether it's about the workplace, strip clubs, love, fat, abortion, popular entertainment, or children—to jump-start a new conversation about feminism. With humor, insight, and verve,
  • How to Be a Woman
  • lays bare the reasons why female rights and empowerment are essential issues not only for women today but also for society itself.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(1.9K)
★★★★
25%
(1.6K)
★★★
15%
(971)
★★
7%
(453)
23%
(1.5K)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

Finally! A fun, hopeful, feminist book!

I AM A STRIDENT FEMINIST! There, I said it, as the author instructed. But it's true, and I have been, for as long as I can remember knowing what that even meant. And I have to say, this is the first "feminist book" that actually made me feel hopeful and happy and glad to be a woman. Others (such as "Crazy Salad Plus Nine" by the wonderful Nora Ephron) just made me angry - because so little has changed for women. We're still - 30+ years after she wrote it - marginalized and "different".

"How to Be a Woman" explains this 'difference' in a no-nonsense and hilarious way. For example, in the chapter titled "I Encounter Some Sexism!", the author says, "We are, physically, the weaker sex. We're not as good at hefting stones, killing mammoths, and rowing boats. In addition, sex often had the added complication of getting us pregnant and leaving us feeling 'too fat' to lead an army into India."

The author honestly and unflinchingly looks at many topics that plaque women:
~what happens when puberty hits (the periods! the hair growth!)
~the 'thin' vs 'fat' issue (and how the term "fat" is used as a curse and a slur)
~sexism (in the workplace and out)
~falling in love, getting married, and having kids (why you should, and why you shouldn't)
~abortion
~the "maintenance" we have to do on ourselves (waxes, etc.)
~and getting older

And it's all presented in an uplifting, positive, honest, and hilarious way. I did NOT want this book to end. And I want to give copies to everyone important in my life.

A few notes - as other reviewers have stated, there is all kinds of crude language as well as mentions of drug and alcohol use, none of which bothered me personally, but... this is, obviously, not for everyone... and unfortunately many of the people who need this book the MOST may not read it because of this. (For instance, I would love to give copies for my niece {13} and goddaughter {10}, but I'm sure their moms would be none too happy with me if I did - because of the language.)

Also, calling this the "British version of Tina Fey's 'Bossypants'" is a disservice to both books. The only similarities are that they are both by women, and both authors are funny, and both of them talk about their childhoods and careers. Otherwise, they are entirely different. Mind you, I thoroughly enjoyed "Bossypants", but it does not have nearly the heft of depth of "How to be a Woman". It's kinda like comparing cotton candy with a milky way.

And finally, although the US publishers tried to "Americanize" the book, there were still a few things I didn't quite "get" and had to look up. (Now, this may have changed in the final version; I read an uncorrected proof.) A little more explanation could have been helpful.

I highly highly highly recommend this book - and would give it 1,000 stars if amazon would let me.
76 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Offensive although some chapters are funny

I thought the book was funny at times but towards the end it gets pretty dark with her views on abortion and God and religion. It's very offensive, she equates religion to a pastime as useless as jigsaw puzzles!! being Godless and thinking abortion is an easy choice doesn't define a feminist in my opinion. Women who believe in something beyond the power of their female reproductive organs are much better role models to follow.
8 people found this helpful
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Easy, fun read, but lacks substance

I really did enjoy reading this book, so why am I only giving it three stars? I am going to try to be a thorough as possible so that you can decide whether to buy this, check it out at the library, or skip it altogether.

First, yes, this book is full of vulgarity and foul language. If such things easily offend you, I would recommend skipping this book. Personally, I did not find any of it offensive.

Second, this book has its funny moments. There were times I actually found myself laughing aloud, while at others, I was just reading fast to get through the parts that I could tell were supposed to be funny.

As an American reading this, I feel that I missed a lot of the humor of the book due to the cultural references. As another reviewer mentioned, those in the UK speak English, but some parts of this book are like reading something written in a foreign language. Nevertheless, still, there were very funny parts that I did understand.

One complaint about I have about this book is the fact that some parts feel like they go on and on, for no reason at all. It was usually during the middle of a chapter when I would get this feeling, and I would think, "Was Moran trying to reach a word minimum in this section?" Some bits just dragged on.

Now, to get to the meat of the book. This book is one part memoir, one part feminist opinion, and one part vulgarity and humor. The problem I have here is that I went in expecting this book to be mostly feminist opinion. Unfortunately, this book focuses very much on Moran's life, yet when it gets to the feminist tie-ins, she does not explain her opinions very thoroughly. I found Moran to be very funny and intelligent; however, the way she glossed over some issues (such as the chapter on strip clubs) and did not actually explain why she holds the view that she does, I walked away very disappointed. Because I know that Moran is capable of thinking and reasoning, I would have liked to read a lot more about it when it came to her feminist viewpoints.

For me, this book tried to do too much, as I mentioned in the last paragraph. If it was supposed to be a memoir, I would have liked to know more about her life, as just select instances are discussed here. (For example, she mentions her husband many times, but we never really learn much about him.) If this book was supposed to be about feminism, it also failed there, as the feminist sections of each chapter only made up a scant amount of the content.

Another reviewer also pointed out that Moran is contradictory in her views. At some points, she claims that feminism is about a woman's choice to do whatever she wants, yet she also holds certain strong viewpoints in opposition to this, but does not explain them.

This is an easy read, and as I mentioned, it is quite funny at times and definitely offers some good insights. I just wish that Moran had focused more on the feminist message of the book and really explained her reasoning on certain topics, as some of her opinions seem completely contradictory.

Also, if you are very religious or strongly against abortion, there is one chapter that is likely to offend you.
6 people found this helpful
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Not much of anything

This book gets rave reviews elsewhere but I just did not enjoy it. It has a 13 year old mentality from a grown woman. It is not funny, not interesting, not informative, not thought provoking - it just isn't much of anything.
5 people found this helpful
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how to be a women

rubbish . worst book , terrible read , how it managed to be a best seller list ??? It no funny at all . I could not even finish it .
5 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

how to be a women

rubbish . worst book , terrible read , how it managed to be a best seller list ??? It no funny at all . I could not even finish it .
5 people found this helpful
✓ Verified Purchase

Light read , may offend some

I was looking for belly laughs but got a few chuckles instead. Easy to read.

Full credit for life lived with humor and a "ring true" voice. Graphic nature still showed restraint but it might offend some people with different views.

Full of advice- no. Interesting, honest perspective - yes.
5 people found this helpful
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Stopped reading in second chapter

I stopped reading after Moran began discussing her pubic hair at length... I did not want to hear about her pubic hair. I was really disappointed because the book seemed so promising when I first started reading, but I wasn't able to connect to anything she was trying to say with the book. Perhaps it would be better slated to a teenager.
4 people found this helpful
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Didn't care for it

Book was vulgur and not at all what I expected. She took the issues a bit too extreme for my liking.
4 people found this helpful
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I wanted to like it.

I bought this after a certain website that rhymes with Schmezebel picked it up for their feminist book club. "Belly laughs and crude humor?! Sign me up."

Meh, no. Moran tries too hard pretending to be a Very Intellectual Contemporary Feminist. She gets points for trying, but her judgment of other women (and sometimes, ever so subtly) does more harm than good. Whatever your opinions are on anything from "knickers" to adult establishments to adult movies to grooming, you better not be too fond of them, even if they are well-thought out and derived from years of actual experiences; Moran will, without even the grace of nuance or the support of logic, mount her soapbox and tell you what your opinion should be. Concominantly, she will proclaim that feminism is about choice and freedom. It's mind-boggling and ultimately detracts from any of the small chuckles to be found here.

I am glad that another woman in the world has the moxie to navigate her life as a feminist. But I found her one-size-fits-all opinions to be much more offensive than her vulgarity.

And on the topic of vulgarity: it does not guarantee comedy! Moreover, it gets to be tiresome when it is not funny. I swear there are sections of this book that are just Moran's stream of consciousness, in writing.
4 people found this helpful