Diary of a Confused Feminist by Kate Weston

Kat struggles with school, her friendships and how to be a good feminist in this fantastic novel.

Kat's friends are finding boyfriends or becoming wrapped up in school. Kat, struggling in her best subject and let down by the boy she fancies, is sure she'll never catch up with them. What if they're just hanging out with her out of pity? She can't even feminist well. Who'd ever want to be friends with her?

A lot of reviewers are talking about how funny this book is. I didn't find it that funny...amusing, sure, there's some good banter, but not laugh a minute...but it doesn't need to be, and the subject matter it covers definitely doesn't need it. This book has one of the most accurate representations of anxiety I've seen recently. Kat could have been pulled from my own memories.

I love that the book makes a point of saying that feminism means different things to different people, and that worrying about being a 'good' feminist is not constructive at all. Kat worries because other women have sacrificed in order for her to be able to go to school, so if she can't go she's making a mockery of their efforts. I also loved that in the end, she overcame the bully by just not caring any more. And recovery being a back and forth process is so true as well. This book will be so helpful to so many people.

One star off, though, because throughout the book the word He was capitalized. I was reading an ARC, so maybe in the final version it will be changed or relevant in some way, but seeing all the men capitalized in a book about feminism struck a wrong chord with me.

I really enjoyed this read, and I look forward to recommending it to teens when it publishes.

Kat wants to do GOOD FEMINISM, although she's not always sure what that means. She also wants to be a writer, get together with Hot Josh (is this a feminist ambition?), win at her coursework and not make a TOTAL EMBARRASSMENT of herself at all times.

But the path to true feminism is filled with mortifying incidents and when everything at school starts to get a bit too much, Kat knows she's lost her way, and the only way forward is to ask for help . . .

Join Kat AKA the Confused Feminist as she navigates EVERYTHING from menstrual cups and mental health to Instagram likes and #TimesUp in her HILARIOUS, OUTRAGEOUS and VERY EMBARRASSING diary.