335 pages
Published March 8th 2018 by Electric Monkey
“Because the way the world treats teenage girls – as sluts, as objects, as bitches – is not okay. It’s the exact opposite of okay.”
First off, I finished this book a mere fifty-two seconds ago, but I have a feeling it’s going to be one of those that will stick with me for a few days and no book I pick up thus after (I’m not sure I’m using “thus” in the right context) will not equal out to how fantastically awesome this book was.
Like Moxie and Nowhere Girls, this book rears up its head against the double standards that are male and female sexual behavior. Let’s be real here. This stuff has been going on since you and me were in high school, but for some reason we weren’t “woke” (I hate that word. I’m going to say “awake”) enough to see how problematic it was. Looking back, there were some things I had seen and heard that were portrayed in this very book.
So, meet Izzy. She has the voice of a person I want to be best friends with. Someone I can wee in my pants with and overeat peanut butter cups with. She is the epitome of a witty, sarcastic and honest person making light of tragic events by laughing about it. She does what she wants and doesn’t apologize for it. Basically, the best friend in my head.
We’re reading her story through her blog posts where she tells us all about her love for screenwriting, her sassy grandmother and her best friends, Ajita and Danny. After spending a care free night at a party, where she sleeps with two boys from school, her personal life is suddenly blasted online. Now, back in my day where I walked eighteen miles to school barefoot carrying military grade style backpacks, there was no such thing as social media and terms like “slut-shaming” and “revenge porn” were not the norm. Unfortunately, the world we live in nowadays is a tad bit more…how do I say…not…so…private and Izzy’s gets to experience that first hand.
If I had a box of these books, I’d just go around and shove them in people’s faces and tell them to read it and read it to their daughters and sheesh, read it to their sons. Talk about this stuff. Let them know that bullying is wrong, that slut shaming is wrong, that your entitlement is bull doodie and treat women with respect. It is up to us as parents and grandparents and brothers and sisters to teach our youth. Feminist, non-feminist, whatever. We don’t need labels. We just need to respect each other and build each other up and as women it is important to band together against injustice. (I’m going to pull a Mean Girls). Girls, stop calling each other sluts and bitches and start standing up beside each other. We need nasty women. Be nasty.
I gave this book 5 big nasty stars because it was perfect and even though I already read a copy on my Kindle, I am going to go out and buy the book at my earliest convenience. Maybe right now,once I get through the longest review I have eve written. I’m not even sure this all makes sense since my fingers are flying across the keyboard as if at a bad pot brownie.
I digress.
I am glad books like this exist
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