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Shrill

Notes From a Loud Woman
Aug 25, 2016lukasevansherman rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
“As a woman, my body is scrutinized, policed, and treated as a public commodity. As a fat woman, my body is also lampooned, openly reviled, and associated with moral and intellectual failure." I'm not sure what wave of feminism we're in (fourth), but we are in the midst of a cornucopia of feminist books, including "We Were Feminists Once," "Bad Feminist," "Sex Object," and Gloria Steinem's memoir. Lindy West started off at Seattle's "Stranger" and her new book, like these others, is a mix of the political and the personal. Aside from feminist issues, she focuses on body issues and self-identifies as a large woman. In one of the most humorous essays, she identifies positive fat female role models from movies she watched as a kid, which mostly includes Disney cartoon characters and a Muppet. She has a unique perspective and a strong voice (Hence the title) that, while opinionated, is also funny and nuanced. She tackles rape jokes, body shaming, the masculine atmosphere of many comedy clubs, and, perhaps most famously, Internet trolls, of which there are legion.