Sara Pascoe (2)Besprekingen

Really a 3.5 but I'll round up to a 4 because I like her.

Sara Pascoe’s follow-up to Animal discusses the intersection of sex, power, and money. She examines how humans have evolved as sexual beings and how these evolutionary traits clash with current culture. She reviews the literature on porn and its effect on the practitioners and the users. She studies popular culture and its depictions of sexual relationships, and she draws on her own perspective and examines it critically.

Overall, I thought this was very well done, although there was a bit too much strikethrough humour for my liking, and maybe a few too many footnotes. That said, the one that went on a digression about how it would be handled in the audiobook was amusing. I might have to get the audiobook to see how that turns out.

Of Pascoe’s two books, I likely prefer Animal, but that is probably mostly down to my own discomfort with reading about porn. I definitely read this on the strength of its author rather than the subject matter. But I am glad to have challenged myself by reading this.½

Here's a reality check for anyone in any vague kind of doubt about the three things in the title.

Both illuminating and funny, it will make your head spin in its directness and delivery.

She is an Essex girl, so any lip and you'll get a slap for your trouble.

Honest, in your face and between your ears

Pascoe takes her stand-up comedy delivery and translates it seamlessly into a book that is part autobiography and part exploration of the role of women (and women's bodies) in western society. Informative and very funny at times. Some sections are written more cumbersomely, and occasionally rely on spurious research, but her thought process and humour improve these sections, and the last chapter on rape is an excellent summary for the book.

Funny & informative, sometimes shocking (I won’t unfortunately forget in a hurry the dreadful experiments carried out on some slave women).

Sara explores issues facing women, and also bravely & astonishingly, charmingly honest, shares very personal info from her own experiences. An amusing and reassuring read.

I bought this to read before seeing Pascoe on tour, neither book nor talk disappointed.
Pascoe takes us on a journey of a female body with a mix of facts, observations and autobiographical details. I enjoyed the style, while there are many laugh out loud moments, Pascoe does not pull her punches when talking about tough issues women face. I connected even more with the book as Pascoe is the same age as me, so I could relate to many of the references. Pascoe covered a lot of the issues that my friends and I discuss a lot, from abortion to having children, from endemic sexism and our growing confidence in calling people out on it.
Recommended.

I greatly enjoyed this book. Pascoe combines factual information with stories from her own life to discuss the themes of Love, Body and Consent. It is often very funny, sometimes surprising in a "Whew, good thing I'm not reading this on the bus" kind of way, and quick to read. I also liked that she included further reading at the end and a list of organizations one can support if one wishes to help with the various social issues discussed in the book.