The science of bad language
Louise Jones reviews Dr Emma Byrne’s first book Swearing is Good for You which offers a defence of swearing, backed by historical case studies and cutting-edge research
non-fiction
Listen without prejudice?
Joanna Whitehead reviews Under My Thumb: Songs That Hate Women And The Women Who Love Them, a collection of essays exploring misogyny in music
Non-monogamy for beginners
Zoe Russell reads Is Monogamy Dead? by Rosie Wilby and believes it could potentially be a good starting point for ‘not-yet non-monogamists’ but perhaps relies too much on the author’s personal experience
A dangerous kind of forgiveness
Taryn de Vere reads South of Forgiveness by Thordis Elva and questions whether the author’s personal account of ‘forgiving’ her rapist sets an unhelpful and problematic precedent
Redefining the immigrant experience
Martha Salhotra reads The Good Immigrant compiled by Nikesh Shukla, and finds the experience to be like slipping on a new pair of shoes that fit perfectly the first time round
Forever friends?
Jo Whitehead identifies with the pain and pleasure that female relationships can offer in Kerry Cohen’s Girl Trouble: An Illustrated Memoir and wonders if we all have a Mean Girl lurking within
The return of Caitlin Moran
Shoshana Devora reviews Caitlin Moran’s Moranifesto and finds there is much to enjoy, but also a lot to criticise
Call it out and shout right back
Sarah Bronzite reviews Girl Up by writer and campaigner Laura Bates and hails it as the go-to support manual for every young woman in your life
The story of a girl and her sketchbook
Ettie Bailey-King reviews Drawing Blood by artist and activist Molly Crabapple and finds it part sumptuous fairytale, part manifesto for action
Shonda Rhimes’ Year of Yes
Nick Beard reviews Year of Yes by TV producer Shonda Rhimes and finds her thoughts on motherhood and weight loss brave and thought-provoking
A new sexual revolution?
Shoshana Devora reviews Mona Eltahawy’s book, Headscarves and Hymens, and finds it a brave and important insight into the injustice and oppression still experienced by many women in the Middle East
Playing the gender game
Lusana Taylor reviews Girls will be Girls by Emer O’Toole and admires the author’s playful, honest and often very funny approach to gender
You are not who you do
Kat Wootton reviews The Sex Myth by Rachel Hills and explores the fascinating links between sex and identity
Never asking for it
Kat Wootton hails Kate Harding’s new book as an important part of a struggle against rape culture
Plenty of art… but where’s the asking?
Amanda Palmer’s The Art of Asking is emotional and inspiring, but when it comes to the big questions she misses the mark, says Ashley Cook
A Book For Her: ridiculing the sacred
Nick Beard finds sharp humour, brutal honesty and a fine introduction to the power of feminist comedy in award-winning stand-up Bridget Christie's first book
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Reading Women: How the Great Books of Feminism Changed my Life
Stephanie Staal re-examines some of the central texts of her undergraduate feminist classes, now critiquing them from her position as a wife and mother. LonerGrrrl argues that we should all consider how our relationship to feminism may change over time
