I am in charge of our Senior School library and now during this time of lockdown, I am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to readers across the board. It had a really strong voice that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

sometimes i just don't understand republications of books.
this book felt utterly outdated and not at all worth being published again without being completely overworked and updated to fit the times today.
for me not wroth a read or recommending, sadly.

Yeah, I'm not gonna finish this. I made it about a quarter through and find it a) dated b) not funny and c) surprisingly unfeminist in its derivative dismissive feminist ideas.

This started as a fast, fun read. It was easy to read, quirky and kind of funny. but as the book went on, some things started to annoy me: the use of “hoor” to describe other women, the very heteronormative everything, and when LGBT+ people were mentioned, people other than gay and lesbians were totally forgotten… The more it went on, the more things annoyed me, until the last pages where I reached this paragraph, that made me see red:

“We cannot get drunk and just see what happens, then tell all our friends we were date-raped. There is such a thing as real date rape, when women take drugs they don’t know are hidden in their drink. There is such a thing as real rape, when women are alone and surprised in the night. Using the word “rape” to describe sex that happens when we’re too drunk to remember it is an appalling insult to the women who have had to endure real rape.”

Not ok.

The author then goes on:

“But know that we rape ourselves when we give up the ability to meaningfully consent. Camille Paglia was right when she said men cannot be trusted. Most of them can’t. Know that.”

Need it say more?...

I liked the author's dark humour and attempt to write about subjects both serious and light but it kind of lacked unifying themes (other than the author's life). I know the book came out in 2006 but it's now 2017 so it really needs an update for racial stuff e.g. throwing around the word ghetto, describing mothers by their race.