Wednesday 14 June 2017

Review: Nasty Women by 404 Ink

With intolerance and inequality increasingly normalised by the day, it's more important than ever for women to share their experiences. We must hold the truth to account in the midst of sensationalism and international political turmoil. Nasty Women is a collection of essays, interviews and accounts on what it is to be a woman in the 21st century.

People, politics, pressure, punk - From working class experience to racial divides in Trump’s America, being a child of immigrants, to sexual assault, Brexit, pregnancy, contraception, identity, family, finding a voice online, role models and more, Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!, Zeba Talkhani, Chitra Ramaswamy are just a few of the incredible women who share their experience here.

Keep telling your stories, and tell them loud. 



-- Goodreads.com description --






I received an advanced reader's copy from the publishers and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

First, I want to thank the publishers for providing me with an arc, I'm very grateful for this opportunity. This is one of the first non-fiction books I have ever read in my spare time. I'm not familiar with the genre and therefore I can't compare it to other feminist works.

Nasty Women is a collection of essays on what it is to be a woman in the 21st century. These essays were written after the Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. Some essays deal with how this influenced their lives (in a negative way) but there are many other topics as well.

I wanted to read Nasty Women because I want to read more feminist texts. For me, this collection of essays was the perfect introduction to the genre. The texts are very diverse, some talk about racial and sexual issues, others talk about weight problems, etc. I found Nasty Women illuminating. The accounts of these women hit me hard sometimes. It offers very different perspectives and every single one is pertinent.

I thought the collection started out strong with an essay about how Trump's election influences people around you, even your own family, to feel it's okay to be racist and sexist. And that's simply heart-breaking.

One thing I really want to point out, is that potential trigger warnings are given at the beginning of these essays. This means you can easily skip an essay if you prefer not to read about rape or abuse, for instance.

All in all, as one of my first non-fiction and feminist reads, I really liked it. After reading each essay, I felt the need to discuss it immediately which probably annoyed my family to death. Nasty Women offers personal stories written by women who don't "fit in" with society's norms in various ways. These different perspective can at times be difficult to read. I am a privileged white female living in Belgium and I have learned a lot by reading Nasty Women. These passionate accounts often made me angry and sad at the same time. 

I gave this collection 5 out of 5 stars! I would highly recommend this book if you want to read some hard-hitting, feminist essays. This was a perfect introduction to feminist literature and I will definitely read more of these books in the future! Really, everyone should read Nasty Women, I was truly impressed by this collection.

Have you read Nasty Women or are you planning to? Leave your thoughts down below! Also, I would love to get some other feminist fiction or non-fiction recommendations!

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