The author of the international bestseller How to Be a Woman returns with another “hilarious neo-feminist manifesto” (NPR) in which she reflects on parenting, middle-age, marriage, existential crises—and, of course, feminism.A decade ago, Caitlin Moran burst onto the scene with her instant bestseller, How to Be a Woman, a hilarious and resonant take on feminism, the patriarchy, and all things … take on feminism, the patriarchy, and all things womanhood. Moran’s seminal book followed her from her terrible 13th birthday through adolescence, the workplace, strip-clubs, love, and beyond—and is considered the inaugural work of the irreverent confessional feminist memoir genre that continues to occupy a major place in the cultural landscape.
Since that publication, it’s been a glorious ten years for young women: Barack Obama loves Fleabag, and Dior make “FEMINIST” t-shirts. However, middle-aged women still have some nagging, unanswered questions: Can feminists have Botox? Why isn’t there such a thing as “Mum Bod”? Why do hangovers suddenly hurt so much? Is the camel-toe the new erogenous zone? Why do all your clothes suddenly hate you? Has feminism gone too far? Will your To Do List ever end? And WHO’S LOOKING AFTER THE CHILDREN?
As timely as it is hysterically funny, this memoir/manifesto will have readers laughing out loud, blinking back tears, and redefining their views on feminism and the patriarchy. More Than a Woman is a brutally honest, scathingly funny, and absolutely necessary take on the life of the modern woman—and one that only Caitlin Moran can provide.
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I listened to More Than a Woman as an audio book and highly recommend it. The author has a brilliant reading style that kept me glued to her story. Her voice comes through in the audio in a very real way, and that adds a very special element to the book. After listening to it, I may buy a print copy as well as there are things I want to highlight. I want to be able to skim back through the book when needed to find specific quotes. But for the first time through – definitely listen to it as an audio book.
While this book is humorous, especially in the first half – later in the book Moran begins to share ideas she is passionate about in a more serious way. These are tucked in between other comedic moments, but I love that they are there. I had to listen to her section about women and beauty a couple times. You are the BEHOLDER is my new motto. I found myself wanting to shout DAMN RIGHT when she talked about how women are often publicly and brutally shamed and judged on social media in a way men never are. And there were tears when she talked about her daughter’s struggle with an eating disorder.
This is a book by a woman, written to empower women. It’s a chance to look at the absurdity of expectations placed on us, often with our consent. And I love that she spent one chapter acknowledging men and the difficulties they faced. The picture she painted was one I had not realized, but it was so very true and so very sad.
Great book! Funny, serious, thoughtful, hilarious and full of truth!
It’s no exaggeration to say that Caitlin Moran’s first book How To Be A Woman changed my life. The way she talked about feminism and all the weird, uncomfortable, mad bits that come along with being female in such a funny, candid and straightforward way was a total lightning bolt moment for me and I have been asking myself WWCMD? (What Would Caitlin Moran Do?) in various tricky situations ever since. So when I heard that she was writing a follow up to ‘How To Be A Woman’ filled with even more hard-won wisdom and laughs, I was rushing out to buy my copy. And I’ve not been disappointed! Caitlin is as funny and wise as ever and she has a real gift for articulating complicated and hard to name feelings in a clear and memorable way. The sections on the differences in male and female socialisation and how women often ‘marry their own glass ceiling’ were particularly striking and poignant, while still being hilarious. But she also exhibits a huge amount of emotional vulnerability in this book. Her sections on mothering teenage girls are totally heartbreaking and uplifting all at once. Both she and her daughters are so strong and brave to share their experience with the world. Here’s hoping she writes a new one of these every decade so I can continue to enjoy her work well into my hag years.