The Guilty Feminist, by Deborah Frances-White

Comedian and scriptwriter Frances-White grew up on the Gold Coast but has lived in the UK since escaping the Jehovah’s Witnesses to attend university. In 2015 she started The Guilty Feminist podcast with fellow comedian Sofie Hagen and her career has boomed. The weekly podcast is topical, political and laugh-out-loud funny, recorded at raucous live shows featuring a wide range of special guests who are mostly women. Comedians, performers, writers and activists – some are recognisable from stage and screen; others rarely get that opportunity despite their ability and interesting work. This book is an expansion and reiteration of the podcast; the themes and some of the specific jokes and stories will be familiar – and occasionally repetitive - to regular listeners. The book goes more in depth than it is possible to do in a podcast that is tightly organised for an evening of live entertainment then edited before release. It includes a series of interviews with activists and performers who have appeared on the show. The values demonstrated are intersectional, asking everyone to check their privilege and become allies towards achieving equality. Frances-White argues for a feminism that is kind, compassionate and inclusive, opening up space and opportunities for women of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. It is not anti-men, but anti-patriarchy, wanting to break down the rigid rules and expectations that damage and restrict women and men. Her book is a call to action – for all of us to do whatever we can, however small, to make a difference and contribute to change for the better of all.