How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran

In her book How to Be a Woman, British columnist Caitlin Moran shares her opinions on topics like music, social status, and feminism while sharing anecdotes from her life. Unabashed and funny, this non-fiction work is definitely not for children, but I know some of you who regularly read this blog will get a kick out of it, especially those who liked Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling. Caitlin details both silly and serious events that happened to her or her family members without shame or judgment. Readers will quickly pick up on her wry sense of humor and her world outlook.

My favorite passages from How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran are a mix of the poignant and the fun:

The people around you are mirrors, I think. [...] You see yourself reflected in their eyes. If the mirror is true, and smooth, you see your true self. That's how you learn who you are. And you might be a different person to different people, but it's all feedback that you need, in order to know yourself. But if the mirror is broken, or cracked, or warped...the reflection is not true. - Page 150

If I'm going to [waste] £500 on a pair of designer shoes, it's going to be a pair that I can (a) dance to "Bad Romance" in and (b) will allow me to run away from a murderer, should one suddenly decide to give chance. That's the minimum I ask from my footwear. To be able to dance in it, and for it not to get me murdered. - Page 198

And if you're a nerdy girl, you've read enough books and seen enough films to know that being on a mission, saving the world, trying to get the band back together, or just putting on a play, right there, in a barn, really is a life well lived. Batman doesn't want a baby in order to feel he's "done everything." He's just saved Gotham again! If this means Batman must be a feminist role model above, say, Hillary Clinton, then so be it. - Pages 238-239