More Than a Woman by Caitlin Moran

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Title: More Than a Woman
Author: Caitlin Moran
Release Date: 9.15.20
Publisher: Harper Perennial

After fully cracking up twice by page 14 ("Mark Ruffalo" and "every trampoline will fear me") I knew I was in for a treat with this book. There just aren't any other books like this. There are books about finding feminism, discovering your sexuality, finding your way in the world, navigating new motherhood, and so many other challenges of young women but what about after? You know, after you learn some of the hard lessons about friendships and relationships, after the early years of a marriage and parenting, after you get a bit of a grip on life? The minds of middle aged women don't simply cease churning out new ideas and revelations because all the attention of society is geared toward the younger demographic. We are still learning new things every day and we have common threads, but according to news outlets, publishing companies, and the media in general mid-life is just not that exciting. Think of it this way, which magazine article will likely garner more views or sales: "20 Sex Tricks to Make Your Mate's Head Pop Off" or "The Blissful Comfort of Married Sex"? This memoir isn't lamenting and labeling mid-life as a bleak wasteland or perpetuating any mid-life crisis myths, rather it is a like a friend saying "yep, that's how my mind works, too" when you delve into the feminist stance of housework not just as second shift emotional and unpaid labor, but as a entire psychological structure. As a 43-year-old woman I found this book especially poignant and will be recommending it to my friends who are also trying to figure out this next era of caregiving where many are wedged between their parents and their children, who are questioning their sanity as they simultaneously want their children to never leave them and to also please go away, who are embracing aging but not against giving it a bit of pushback, who are exhausted by still having to explain basic feminist theories, aspirations, hopes, and dreams to people who have internalized and continue to uphold patriarchal structures. Now, before you say "whoa, these are all pretty heavy topics" I can assure you that Moran handles them all with her witty and signature self-deprecating humor. I will go out on a limb to also say that your friends will find this book funnier than your husband. I read the "armchair personality type" section to a friend and we gasped laughing so hard that I could barely finish it. After reading the same section to my husband he simply said "that doesn't make any sense" which then lead my friend and I on another eye-rolling and laughing jag.

Favorite Part:
While I know we all have a master list of things we need(?) to do, Moran explains the existential crisis "The List" actually represents in our lives in a way that was truly a lightbulb moment for me. I'll not try to explain it here because she does it so much better and of course, she's much funnier.

Important Note:
It is important to point out that Moran's memoir is not all witty thoughts and dark humor, some of it is just dark. She shares part of her daughter's journey through an eating disorder and while not every mother will have had this precise situation, I feel that we have all pulled our families through some pivotal period of darkness and (hopefully) landed on the other side with insight and lessons we are willing to share.