COMPILATION OF AN ANNONATED LIST OF LITERARY TEXTS FOR CHILDREN

AND ADOLESCENT’S LITERATURE

CATEGORY: NON-FICTION (BIOGRAPHIES AND ESSAYS

How to Be a Woman
by Caitlin Moran
when she was thirteen and a group of neighborhood boys tormented her for her androgynous
appearance and style of dress. Though it upsets her, she quickly bounces back from the experience and
celebrates her birthday. She reflects that no one in her family taught her about the changes she would
go through during puberty or how to act like a woman. Her mother refuses to discuss menstruation with
her, leading to health problems when Caitlin’s first period lasts for three straight months.

Puberty also brings a burgeoning sex drive, which Caitlin indulges by checking out salacious novels
from the library. She prefers her way of learning about sex to the way modern teenagers do, finding
everything and anything they can imagine easily on the Internet. Caitlin argues that modern pornography
is almost exclusively focused on male pleasure, and she would like to see more porn made by and for
women.

Caitlin’s teenage years are full of learning experiences. Her mother does not offer much guidance, and
so Caitlin learns how to dress like an adult and interact with the opposite sex mostly on her own. She
bonds with her older sister, Caz, over their changing bodies and the difficulty of finding good terms for
female body parts.

When she is sixteen, Caitlin gets a job with Melody Maker magazine. Though they like her and support
her career, Caitlin is aware of sexism directed at her for the first time. Caitlin begins dating Courtney, a
musician. After leaving Courtney, Caitlin dates and eventually marries a coworker, Pete. Soon after,
Caitlin gives birth to her first child. Her mother had eight children and suffered from health problems
related to the births. Nervous, Caitlin makes an elaborate birth plan. However, when the time to deliver
comes, the labor goes poorly, and it takes three days to give birth to her daughter. Caitlin explains that
the painful experience taught her not to micro-manage or sweat the small stuff.

After giving birth to another daughter, Caitlin finds out that she is pregnant with a third child. Though
she has always wanted a son, she and her husband decide that the family is not ready for a third child
and Caitlin should get an abortion. Caitlin thinks that there should not be a stigma attached to the
process. After her abortion, she is relieved she does not feel any sense of guilt or regret.

Caitlin is thirty-five. She thinks about the various ways she has aged and how her body has changed.
She considers plastic surgery but rejects it. Wondering if she has finally learned how to be a woman,
she decides that she is happy with her female experience. She refuses to point out her flaws or adopt a
self-deprecating position.
What is it About?
How to Be a Woman is a 2011 non-fiction memoir by British writer Caitlin
Moran. The book documents Moran's early life (from teens until mid-
thirties) including her views on feminism. As of July 2014, it had sold over a
million copies.

What is it for? Who are the appropriate readers?

Caitlin Moran wrote How To Be a Woman with the goal of making
feminism more approachable for every woman by telling stories of her own
life's struggles. She wants women to stop seeing feminists as radical man-
haters and to start seeing them as advocates for true equality.

Conclusion:
After giving birth to another daughter, Caitlin finds out that she is pregnant
with a third child. Though she has always wanted a son, she and her
husband decide that the family is not ready for a third child and Caitlin
should get an abortion. Caitlin thinks that there should not be a stigma
attached to the process. After her abortion, she is relieved she does not
feel any sense of guilt or regret.