Being a woman is still very tough today, in the 21st century. To read this collection of essays, though, gave me encouragment and empowerment.

In these essays women talk about their stories, fears and hopes. Their stories resonated with me deeply. A must read for everybody.

I really, really wanted to like this book. I love anthologies and feminism. However, the brief essays were, in my opinion, too short. I would have preferred fewer more fleshed out essays.

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. (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC from Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, 404 Ink, in exchange for an honest review.

I reviewed the Radical Hope Anthology written by US authors of all walks of life in response to November 8's results. The Nasty Women collection is the un-related UK response to the same events, and it was good.

Content notes for suicide and sexual assault were included in the title header for the applicable stories, which I thought was a great way to do it. I know there's been some discussion about the best way to do this, but I liked the way this was laid out. You couldn't read the title of the piece without seeing that there was a content warning.

“Names” by Nadine Aisha Jassat spoke incredibly clearly to me. I have had four people in my life pronounce my name correctly outside of my immediate family. Even some of my aunts and uncles cannot pronounce my name, or spell it correctly. I’ve turned it into a conversation point and a bit of a joke, but I definitely judge whether people are worth hanging out with by how long it takes them to learn my name.

I loved the footnotes that went into this collection. If one of these concepts was confusing, or you wanted to learn more about it, you could easily find out where to get more of it. I’m not sure how accessible the sources are, because a lot of them are UK academic sources, but they are clearly labelled.

However, some of these articles got incredibly academic, which kind of dragged the collection down for me, personally. I found myself skimming some of the heavier essays, which wasn't great, considering I'm pretty much the intended audience for this collection.

That being said, I loved a lot of the essays in this collection, and would definitely recommend it to people who loved Radical Hope. Nasty Women was a three star read for me, though some of the individual essays were five if they were on their own. You can pick up a copy on Amazon!

three stars

“I know there will be many bumps in the road ahead. I know that I may not have gone through the worst that will be thrown at me, and I know I have many choices ahead of me. Choosing to tell my story was just one of them.” - Rowan C. Clarke in “Choices”

I enjoyed reading the varied stories and experiences of these women from the UK. I found their stories to be powerful in both their similarities and differences

It was really cool to get to see the world through the eyes of women coming from walks of life entirely removed from my own. There were many whose struggles I couldn’t even begin to imagine dealing with, while others I found comfort that I wasn’t alone in the issues that I have faced. The anthology really does cover a wide range of topics by authors from drastically different backgrounds.

The one essay that stood out the most to me was “Choices” by Rowan C. Clarke, which discussed the author’s difficult relationship with her mother and that never ending struggle to please. While the underlying messages in all of the stories were political and feminist, they were also very personal and down to earth which is what made this collection pretty emotional.

I did have a few issues with the anthology, however, that I need to address. The first was that the quality of each essay varied pretty wildly. The version I read was an ARC so it’s difficult for me to judge the final product, but there were several that weren’t well structured or were rife with grammatical and formatting errors. There were citations (I love citations!) that weren’t formatted all that well (cutting into the middle of paragraphs) that perhaps would’ve been better placed at the end. As for the actual content, most were incredibly well written and heartfelt, a few felt like angry rants that were more alienating than empowering, then there was one that just felt stiff and spent more time with the preface rather than the story.

While on the subject of alienation, despite the rather diverse sets of authors and essays, I feel like there were some missing pieces still. It’s obvious from the title what many of the authors thought about the last election and I didn’t like how black and white things were with barely any room in-between. In cases like this, I’m sure most of the readers would be those looking for confirmation of beliefs that they already share, which is fine except that it closes the door on discussion with the other side which is truly unfortunate.

Don’t get me wrong, I think that what was already here was pretty great. I see what they were going for and I appreciated it. I love to see discussion about politics and social issues, but I worry when the tone leans too far toward one extreme it only invites backlash from the other extreme. It’s a difficult balancing act between maintaining one’s own core beliefs while also trying to open things up to the other side so that perhaps they could engage in the conversation and, ideally, listen and have their own perceptions changed.

But I digress, despite the complaints I had about the book, I found it to be a pretty quick and enjoyable read. It gives a voice to groups of women that aren’t often heard in the greater narrative of the feminist movement. The experiences of these many women enrich that narrative and there’s a lot we can all learn from each other especially in these troubling times.

I found it really difficult to decide on a rating for this book as it is a collection of essays written by a variety of different authors on a variety of different subjects somehow related to the experience of being a women. Some of the essays were just fine and didn't really offer anything new, but other were insightful and offered me a view into the differing experiences of women. I really liked the essays that linked feminism with other societal issues such as racism, religion or LGBTQ experiences. I think the unifying theme of 'nasty women' is interesting as many of the authors make a very important argument for women calling out and working against all kinds of discrimination they face. My main issue with this book is that I don't tend to like essay collections as much as one full length non-fiction book by a single author. This is due to the fact that I felt that I identified with and learnt more from certain authors and wishes that I could read more content from them rather than other. However, this can be positive as it has led me to be exposed to a diverse range of voices and experiences.

This is an incredibly important book. It's also an incredibly difficult one, and one that I was ultimately unable to finish just because it was too confronting. That doesn't make it a bad book. That just makes me someone who is looking after my mental health.

As a female bodied person in the current society, I have personally seen a lot of the things that various women speak up about in Nasty Women. It was difficult to read so many accounts on rape and various assaults and/or abuse, because I have been abused. It was difficult to read when identities have not been allowable within families or larger communities because I have been told that I am imagining things and that I am not the way I think I am. It was difficult to read about lack of support when it comes to both mental and physical health, and to know how I have lied to myself and been lied to about the same.

And yet, these are undeniably truths of the culture we live in, and there is something wrong with that.

Nasty Women aims to shine light on the facts of our culture that some people may wish to lie to themselves about. It shines light on those facts in specific and inarguable ways, with examples, and dates, and receipts. Many of the essays herein remind women that they are not alone, and that is important for those who are able to hear it. That we are not imagining the things that we know we see.

That we are powerful and do not need to apologise for being in the world the way we are, whatever form that takes.

An interesting collection of essays by women who have in one way or another been marginalized or declared "not nice." All are rich in personal experience and will provide insights into lives very different from your own--for even if you can relate to "fat" or "black" or "punk" or "queer" or any of the other specific themes, you won't relate to all.

During the third presidential debate, I was on a business trip in North Carolina with three of my then-coworkers (and still some of the most badass, phenomenal women I know). We were sitting in our AirBnB, sipping wine, and audibly groaning every time Donald Trump opened his mouth. But we were stunned into silence when he uttered the words “such a nasty woman” while Hillary Clinton was speaking.

From the beginning of his campaign, Trump has shown the world that he does not care for or respect women, despite what he may claim. Furthermore, he does not care for or respect any marginalized group in society. And when the election results came in and Trump won the electoral vote, the world reverberated in a moment of fear and silence– before bursting out into powerful, phenomenal resistance.

The book Nasty Woman consists of a collection of essays from women that share their stories, their fears, and their passions. Readers learn about sexual assault, familial femininity, shame, immigration, finding one’s voice in online spheres, and more. I was truly amazed at how a book could profoundly touch on so many important topics in only 240 pages.

The group of authors brought together in this anthology is diverse and incredibly intelligent. Each author brought something unique to the book, and I know that I’ll be following many of their careers now that I’ve finished the book.

I’m not sure how else to review this book, except to urge you all to go pick up a copy. Your life will be changed for the better– I know mine was.

5 STARS!

I am not a non-fiction fan, but i was caught by the title while browsing NetGalley and i was wondering what they meant by "Nasty Women", and when i saw it was a collection of essays i thought it would an interesting book to read.

So, i started reading it and i think this is the most emotional book i read this year, the best book of year, not only because of the stories but also because i could identify with some experiences and i felt like i was allowed to some kind of sisterhood!

Some story touched me because i know how those experiences feel like, other because i understand and i could imagine how it feels, some made me laugh a bit.. Stories about choices, about violence and abuse in all its forms, about dreams and aspirations, about life!
I think the reason this book was so touching is that most women can identify with the stories told.

Now, what did they mean by Nasty Women?
It is simple, they are women who chose to make their voices heard, to work, to live on their own terms, women who believed that being born with a different color, having different beliefs and ideas from those around them is not reason enough not to live.

We say that in this age, racism, sexism, religion phobias do not exist anymore, but we also know that this still happens everyday. These stories were about women who chose to stand up to all that by words and actions. It is not exactly a book about feminism though and i liked it this way. It is more like the story of couragious women in the 21st century, in the light of the recent political changes.

I felt so touched by many of their words and experiences. As a Muslim veiled woman, living in a European country in these troubled time is not easy, One essay in particular talked about this kind of experience and the heavy weight to become all of the sudden a spokeswoman about your religion and all women in Islam. I have been lucky though to see only the good side of people where i live. However, it is always funny when people keep staring in me in disbelief if i choose to go to a music concert in the Theatre like i don't exactly belong there, or that they notice me when i ride a bike in a town where almost everyone has one.

I think everyone should read this book.

This is such an important collection of essays highlighting the difficulties facing women in modern society. It's powerful and compelling, with each essay exploring a different facet of being female. This book was funded by a Kickstarter campaign and it's obvious why so many people thought this collection was essential.

When I received an ARC for this, I was equal parts excited and frightened. Excited because it was a feminist anthology, a collection of essays on a topic I’m not just interested in, but a field, a force that shapes my life and challenges my views every day. Frightened because I got the Hilary reference; and I was afraid that it would focus solely on straight, white women and their problems and struggles. That’s not to say cishet, white women do not face any problems; it’s just that this is a story I’ve already heard/seen/read about a million times. These struggles have monopolized mainstream media for far too long; and I’m not here for it. I’m searching for more diverse, more complicated books.

Fortunately, Nasty Women was not an endless collection of essays on white feminism. Its essays were written by women of colour as well, women discussing important issues like r*pe, mental illness, and current political events. It’s an incredible book, covering all sorts of “feminist topics”, discussing and analyzing them thoroughly.

I feel like a review won’t do the book justice. So I’m going to share some of the quotes I highlighted, hoping that these will offer a far better insight than any review ever could.

“It would merely reveal the nasty, rotting heart of what America has become, what I daresay it has always been since it built a throne on stolen land and tried to crown itself king of the world.”

“[…] white supremacy was allowed to rip land away from the Indigenous, make slaves of Black people, segregate a nation and without irony still call it ‘United’.”

“Dr Karen Salt describes diversity as “the sprinkle approach”, devoid of any structural change.”

“Forget about tax avoidance, forget about the richest continually screwing over the poorest, forget about cuts to welfare, it’s immigrants who are the problem.”

“I think it says a lot more about the fragility of society as a whole – this pathological need to fit people neatly into two gender categories with all their rules and identifiers – than it says about those of us who choose to rebel against these rules.”

“A woman is bossy where a man is ambitious. A black or brown man is a terrorist; a white man mentally unwell.”

“Take a moment and ask yourself who are the real Nasty Women? Those of us who struggle to empower all women or those of us who empower men that ensure we remain second class citizens?”

“Black women don’t need ‘white saviours’ who think they’re helping by saying ‘I’d love a curvy body like yours’ or ‘You’re not being discriminated against. We live in a meritocracy, so just work harder’. No. We need allies. We need support, we need you to acknowledge your white privilege and we need to be believed when we open up about the shit we’ve had to deal with our whole lives.”

These are just a drop in the ocean of what this book has to offer you and, if you decide to read it, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.



*The quotes were taken from an Advanced Reader Copy, so they may be slightly different from those in the finished copy.

**An ARCopy was provided via Netgalley in exchange of an honest review

This is an aptly-timed anthology amid political turmoil. It's a wonderful array of female voices from all walks of life, my criticism comes in the form of possibly too many perspectives from Scotland and not many other places. There were a few too many arts focused viewpoints with third person interviews, a little amateurish editing, and the compilation of women could be more finessed.

That being said - I'm over the moon about intersectional feminism being discussed. A joy to read and a bit of a relief. It's no Vagina Monologues, but's still fairly decent.

This anthology hit me really hard.

I just wasn't expecting it, though I'm not sure why. Despite being told that this book was about "nasty women", I don't think I grasped just what 404 Ink was offering up. I got the Hillary Clinton reference, of course, and figured the writers would have something to say about Trump, misogyny and racism, but I am so used to the modern version of feminism - the fun, sexy, easily-digestible version offered up by women like Taylor Swift and Lena Dunham.

This isn't that at all. Nasty Women is about all the ugliness that exists in our society, and it makes no apologies for it. It's about imperfect feminists who are fuck ups, drug addicts, and dealing with mental health issues. It's about immigrants who refuse to apologize; who stand in proud admiration of their parents' bravery in coming to a new and unwelcoming country.

It's feminism stripped down to its bare bones, without pretty dresses or a catchy beat. And, look, I will be the first to tell you that the personal is political, that everything is political, but this book just doesn't feel like it's about politics. It feels like a collection of personal, sad, angry, passionate stories about women who deviate from the "norm". Which, strangely, makes it so much more powerful.

The best kind of non-fiction, in my opinion, is that which flows like a story. And that's exactly what we have here. The writers take you into their lives, their worlds, and bring you on journeys with them - in one chapter, you are sat cringing in horror as you hear a white man intellectualize his racism at the next table; in another chapter, you are fuming with anger over gendered violence at a punk rock concert.

It's a deeply emotional, chilling anthology. I found it full of surprising pieces like, for example, Becca Inglis' Love in a Time of Melancholia - about mental illness, female role models, the media, celebrity worship, and - oddly - being a fan of Courtney Love. The author's account of her own obsession with Courtney Love was strange, but also wonderful, as she considered the benefits of having a screwed up role model as someone damaged and imperfect enough to relate to.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that this book doesn't play by the feminist rules we've come to know and accept. But what is feminism if it isn't refusing to play by the rules?

Title: Nasty Women: A Collection of Essays and Accounts on What It Is To Be a Woman in the 21st Century

Author: A Collection Of Authors

Genre: Non-Fiction, Feminist
Literature

Rating: 5 of 5

Release Date: March 8, 2017

This book really hit home for me. I wasn't expecting it, for whatever reason, but it did. In the back of my mind, I had the image of the new hyper-sexualized, funny and easily readable version of feminism in my brain and I thought that this would be just another book catering to that fact. I mean, I understood the Hilary Clinton reference, and I knew that it may have had something to do with the Trum administration here in America, racism, and misogyny. , but I don't think I grasped just exactly the authors and 404 ink was putting out into the world.


This book isn't any of that. Its a brilliantly written collection all about the ugliness in the world and doesn't apologize for it. Every woman had a wonderful and powerful voice, and in reading this, I feel like it opens the doors for even more discussion about what feminism really is. These women are not perfect, They are fuck ups, drug addicts and dealing with mental health issues in an age that glamorizes having mental health issues, but they are woman and they are feminists, and they make a point of letting their non apologetic stance on the fact that they don't fit into the mold of a "perfect" feminist be known.

I am a young women, and this is the first piece of non-fiction I have read for myself. I love that every aspect of this flows as if it's a story and none of it is out of place. These woman take you into their lives, and let you see for just a moment what it's like living in their shoes. You can open to any chapter and be horrified by an act of racism in a restaurant a table over, or the next you can read about being a victim of rape and not fitting into the mold of what our society deems a "perfect" victim.

My favorite piece in this anthology is by Mel Reeve titled The Nastiness of Survival. She accounts on being a victim of rape and not fitting into the stereotypical victim of abuse mold. A quote in this specific essay left me breathless and emotional as I myself am a victim of abuse that doesn't quite fit into the mold of "typical" victim.

"I have found that if you want to tell someone that their friend or
acquaintance raped you, be prepared for an intense examination
of your every mistake, accidental dishonesty or white lie."

I have for a majority of my adult life felt this way, and i can somewhat relate to most all of this anthology on a human level. I've already recommended it to a few girlfriends who I think will love what it has to say, and now, I wish to recommended it to all of you. This doesn't play by the feminism rule book, and I don't think it would be modern feminism if it did.

The stand out piece in this anthology was by Laura Lam about the generations of 'nasty women' in her family. The rest of the pieces felt more like zine articles that would have benefited from an editor's eye to sharpen the narratives.

A stellar collection of voices and experiences that capture multiple facets of what it means to be a woman today. I was excited when I heard about the crowdfunded project and I'm happy to say it is a great success. Each of the essays is personal, approachable, and eminently valuable.

This book is a must read for all the people who feel lost and scared reading the news lately. You're not alone. It's not a book only about politics. It's more about all the issues we have to face for being a woman in a modern society. And also, this book isn't just for women, you should read it too if you're guy. And please learn something from it.

The world is a dangerous place right now, but not as dangerous as a nasty woman with a pen in her hand and story to tell. These voices telling our truths cannot be shaken and they certainly will not be drowned out any more. Why fear us when you can join us?


This collection of essays blew me away. As a newly christened feminist, I was looking around for some empowering literature that could empower me through the voices of the women fighting against sexism, racism, homophobia, ableism, etc. Coming out of this reading experience, I’ve discovered some kick-a*s role models who are champions in the movement. I feel more passion, more spark than I have in what seems a very long time, but is just months since the November election.

Every single one of these essays are on an important topic, and a majority of them were successfully were intersectional. We have imperfect feminists that have mental illnesses, drug addicts, and people who’ve fuc*ed up. We have proud daughters of immigrants, who describe the struggles of their parents giving them a better life.

“I shake in terror for them and with them and I cannot decide what is scarier: that Drumpf is president or that people I know and love enabled him.”

As with any collection, there are weaker ones and ones that you absolutely loved because it related and resonated with you as a women. My favorite one was actually the first one, which is hella political and truly packs a punch from which I am sure that I will reread over and over again.

Firsthand experience, first person POV is essential for making these people who are writing these essays connect to their audience of readers. A successful piece of writing makes the reader feel empathy and want to do something about the injustice that is being spread. So many pieces did that to me, quotes that stuck with me and resonated deep within myself. This book made me confront my own racist behavior and thinking that was harmful and horrible, and so for that I will be forever grateful for that.

This isn’t sugarcoating “comfortable” feminist stories, it’s raw, painful, sorrowful, passionate, personal and more than that. It opens your eyes to example of microaggressions that black women experience, it talks about survivors of sexual assault and rape (trigger warnings). But walking away you feel like you learned something valuable.

****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

I received a free copy of Nasty Women from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
When Donald Trump referred to his opponent Hillary Clinton as a “nasty woman” in the 2016 US presidential election this became a rallying cry for feminists who reclaimed the term as a declaration of female empowerment. This collection of intersectional feminist essays is a brilliant read, a battle cry in a world increasingly leaning to the right. Topics covered are racism, LGBTQ rights, disabled rights, class, sexual assault, pregnancy and many more, all told by passionate women who want to share their stories to raise awareness.
Funded by a Kickstarter campaign in just three days, this is a book close to many people’s hearts. It is insightful and varied, with authors from all different backgrounds and living completely different lives but united by this term and their bid to protest normalised discrimination and prejudice. An inspiring collection.