Review: Fight Like a Girl by Clementine Ford

If you pick up Clementine Ford's Fight Like a Girl (and I hope that you do,) then be prepared for an unflinchingly honest account of what it means to a woman in 21st century Australia. The opening paragraph--describing how the author regarded feminism as an adolescent--had me nodding my head in agreement, as it may as well have been describing my own thoughts about feminism at that age. From there, the subject matter remained consistently relatable, right to the very last page, as the author explains why feminism matters, what this means for us and how each individual can raise their voice. 

As I said in the first paragraph, Fight Like a Girl was consistently relatable, whether the author was talking about the pressure to look a certain way, harassment or violence against women. Some of the scenarios outlined were spookily similar to my own experiences. For example, in a chapter titled When Will You Learn Ford explains the internal struggle faced by women when they are approached by a strange man. On the one hand, we're told to protect ourselves and not talk to strangers, on the other, we're told that some people are just socially awkward and are trying to be friendly and it's wrong to suspect them of anything. 

Ultimately, this is a book that is very accessible, very relevant and should be required reading for high school students.

Highly recommended.

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