So I finally got round to reading Women Don't Owe You Pretty by Florence Given and thought why not share my thoughts with you? This is my first time writing a book review so I hope you enjoy and let me know if you'd like to see more of these.
First of all, the book was written by Florence Given, who is currently a 22-year-old writer, artist and influencer - the same age as me!
What is the book about?
It's a non-fiction book that talks all about the different areas of being a woman. There are different chapters about relationships, body image, building an identity and the difficulty in doing this in a world rooted in racism, misogyny and sexism.
It is a mainstream dive into feminism and is easily accessible for those who don't want to read mounds of feminist literature but still want to learn about feminism and the need for gender equality.
The aim of this book is to challenge the ideas you thought you already had about the world, gender and identity. Due to studying a lot of the things the book covers at university, I already knew a lot of what was in it however, this book still taught me a lot and has changed my way of thinking even more.
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Additionally, the book is filled with beautiful illustrations that Florence Given has created herself. At times, there are triggering subjects talked about such as rape or sexual trauma, (with appropriate trigger warnings in place) and these images just lift you back up after reading about these topics.
This book is definitely relevant at the moment, in a world where some people may even think what? Of course we have gender equality by now? By reading this book, you will know that we don't in this society still.
Should you read this book?
I would definitely recommend this book and I feel like this is an important read for everyone. I definitely learnt a lot and feel like everyone needs to read what is in this book. It hits you with cold hard truths that we all need to hear.
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Have you read this book? What were your thoughts?
7 comments
A lovely, full review. It sounds like a book that explores challenging issues in an interesting narrative.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I did really like this book, I think it's a great start to learning about feminism and I love the illustrations too x
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of this book, I like that it explores feminism and the different areas of a woman's life x
ReplyDeleteLucy | www.lucymary.co.uk
The title of the book reminds me of the Erin McKean quote that I absolutely love; "You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don’t owe it to your mother, you don’t owe it to your children, you don’t owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked ‘female’." And the book pretty much falls into the type of feminism we should all be learning about. It sounds like it tackles tough topics head on and in an open way so I really like the sound of it. Thank you for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteMy Mum has got me an Amazon voucher for my birthday this weekend so I'm definitely going to add this to my list of books I'm going to get with it! I've heard so many great things - sounds like an excellent read x
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an excellent book, and that illustration is so pretty. Women Don't Owe You Pretty sounds like it hits hard.
ReplyDeleteCora | https://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/
I finished reading this book about 2 weeks ago and loved it too! Such a brilliant book about feminism and has really made me think even more about the world we live in. Love the review x
ReplyDeleteCaroline | https://envirolineblog.com/