By Heather A.
4 out of 5 stars ★★★★☆
October 20, 2015
Essays, Feminism, Memoir
Alida Nugent’s first book, Don’t Worry It Gets Worse, received terrific reviews, and her self-deprecating “everygirl” approach continues to win the Internet-savvy writer and blogger new fans. Now, she takes on one of today’s hottest cultural topics: feminism.
Nugent is a proud feminist—and she’s not afraid to say it. From the “scarlet F” thrust upon you if you declare yourself a feminist at a party to how to handle judgmental store clerks when you buy Plan B, You Don’t Have to Like Me skewers a range of cultural issues, and confirms Nugent as a star on the rise.
*I received an Advanced Reader Copy from FirstToRead.com for my honest review.*
Happy pub day to You Don’t Have To Like Me!
Sometimes an author just “gets you” that you can’t help but love the book. That’s how I felt about Nugent’s essay collection on feminism, it felt like she was writing to me. I imagine we’re about the same age, and we’re relatively on the same journey of feminist discovery, which is reassuring. All her words were a reminder that I don’t have to be anyone but myself and societal expectations are the worst. She further goes on to describe inter-sectional feminism, which is also something I am learning. (Hi, I’m a baby feminist, but I’m on my way.)
The information in the book wasn’t particularly new to me, I had read articles on the internet and generally discovered on my own that I can do what I like and still be considered a feminist. But I liked reading about it and seeing it reflected in someone’s life that’s not my own (I’m a bit selfish I suppose). We come from different backgrounds, but there is still a common thread of feminism that makes us all connected. The essay that spoke about women friendships was the one that had the most impact for me. I know that I could have been a much better friend to a lot of people in high school and college, if I had realized that I was tearing women down instead of being supportive.
Her anecdotes were funny and charming, and I liked her candidness when it came to issues like her eating disorder or even her hypothetical abortion. I would be interested in reading more of her work in the future, and I’m delighted to know she has another book that was previously published. As I was reading, I’m glad she mentioned Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay because it’s become one of the seminal texts for feminism this decade. It seemed like a lot of what Nugent was writing was based on Bad Feminist and I can appreciate that she’s able to articulate and express the same ideas in this collection.
Overall I was impressed and happy I had a chance to read this book.
