Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman

Writer and comedian Lindy West came of up in a society that expected women to be as quiet, little, and obedient as possible—like a porcelain dove that would also have sex with you—but she soon found out that she was everything but.

Lindy's story is told with a blend of humour and pathos that makes even a trip to the abortion clinic seem funny and makes a story about diarrhoea make you cry. She starts with a painfully shy childhood in which she tried, in vain, to hide her big body and even bigger opinions. She also talks about her public battle with stand-up comedians over rape jokes. Finally, Lindy talks about her struggle to convince herself and the world that fat people have value. Finally, she talks about her struggle to convince herself and others that fat people are valuable.

With inimitable good humor, vulnerability, and boundless charm, Lindy boldly shares how to survive in a world where not all stories are created equal and not all bodies are treated with equal respect, and how to weather hatred, loneliness, harassment, and loss--and walk away laughing. In all capitals, Shrill provocatively analyses what it means to learn about oneself the hard way—that is, to move from desiring to be invisible and quiet to making a career by standing up for those who are silenced.