Lindy West is a fat, opinionated feminist. That’s not a pejorative – it’s how she would describe herself. She is also a writer and comedian. These things have won her many fans, and plenty of criticism as well. To call West divisive is an understatement.
Her debut book, Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman, is part autobiography and part manifesto. West discusses contemporary feminism, but her focus is fat acceptance and what it’s like to be fat in a world which sees the overweight as greedy, morally corrupt and a drain on the healthcare system. She also talks extensively about dealing with online trolls, particularly the threats of rape and violence that are part of her daily existence.
This may sound like hard going, but West has a fine sense of the ridiculous and a great line of self-deprecating humour. Shrill is laugh-out-loud funny.