My dread of the ten-minute, blank interval of pure monotony—otherwise known as reading time—at the beginning of my AP Lang class has never been a friendly acquaintance or something I remotely look forward to. But my loath for this breadth of reading was quickly spun around by the arrival of the book Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given.

By way of a friend, this book arrived at my fingertips. I obviously had not read it beforehand, but it had an essence of familiarity and intrigue—at least in the sense of my knowledge of feminism. And I’ll admit it, I am not a reader. I never have been, and quite frankly, never will be. But reading this book repurposed my bittersweet relationship with the pages sandwiched between the front and back covers. I was just purely eager to fan out the crisp pages of this colorful case of female empowerment.

From the very start of the book, the writing style grasped my attention. It flows in an easy yet creative manner while still perfectly executing the messages. Additionally, the layout is easy to comprehend which is something that I always struggle to find in the rare moments of intentional book seeking. And while having a perfectly tangible and gratifying spirit of word usage—for my fondness, at least—the actual information written in the book truly changed my judgment and logic, as cliché as it might sound.

Although the cover is dressed in warm, jovial hues of orange, pink, and yellow, life for women is not necessarily as vibrant and virtuous as it may seem, and that is proven by this book. From every facet of feminism, toxic masculinity, racial injustice, and mental health, Florence Given has it covered. With the author’s pairing of unique drawings and coinciding quotes saturated onto pages throughout the corresponding chapters, the overall purpose is even further effective. Having the art accompanying the specific subjects pertaining to individual chapters adds a unique twist on reading a more informative book.

As for the actual material within the pages, the concepts provided are exceedingly thought-provoking. I have found that I have been thinking about them and applying them to my actions in everyday life and have noticed far more injustices and outdated narratives perpetuated by the patriarchy. Furthermore, this book has taught me a variety of new ways to consider using my voice as a woman, as well as techniques on how to contribute to a more inclusive environment.

Through this book, Given has brought so many issues—regarding feminism and all that follows—that fly under the radar to light and strengthens previous claims about said topics. I used to only view the world as a misogynistic, racist, fatphobic, ableist place to live in, and while it still unfortunately is, I have gained a new sense of how to counter and acknowledge the hate to help the world progress to further equality. 

I have discovered new outlooks on feminism and how it pertains to everyday life and how subtle actions result in continued oppression. This book emphasizes the importance of self-love and love for others and reiterates that feminism is not just for women. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty supplies far too complex subjects for me to do justice by through simple descriptions, but reading the book will make all of the pieces click together. 

My negative and overdramatic stance on reading is not something I am not proud of, but this lovely existence of the book Women Don’t Owe You Pretty has surely changed it—and me—for the better. I am so proud to say that this book made reading time worthwhile and simultaneously educated me to an even greater extent. Now, this book is resting in its retro aesthetic and peaceful power on my shelf—among my scarce collection of other books—waiting for me to pass it on to another willing friend.