What I gained from this book was how to use voice to enhance writing. West’s use of her strong voice made me feel that I knew her better as a person, “Yeah, well, my name is Lindy West and I’m fat.” I tried to incorporate this into my own narrative. I wanted it to feel like I was talking with my audience. It felt as if West was talking to her's. She cussed and had childish jokes that were true to her as a person. I felt the genuineness of her words and I appreciated it as a reader who will never meet her in person. West also uses a lot of relatable humor in her book. West breaks from her stories to tell humorous side notes and then brings the readers back to the story, “Hello, child. As I have run out of compliments to pay you on your doodling, can you tell me what sort of niche you plan to carve for yourself in the howling existential morass of uncertainty known as the future?” I found her "tangents" to be entertaining and interesting. I used breaks in my narrative to be humorous and break the constant stream of the story. West did this all very well and it benefitted her essays. I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I found the topics hard to understand and relate to, “I have, in my life, been a considerably thinner person and had a fat person sit next to me on a plane. I have also, more recently, been the fat person that makes other travelers’ faces fall.” I learned that an author must understand his/her audience well and write for them. West's audience was not me, and that's okay. When I write I need to make sure I know whom I am writing for, but also who will end up reading it. West's topics were not inclusive to all people, and that's fine but I felt left out when she stopped incorporating relatable piece into her essays. She was focusing on her audience, and it was not me. This book was a good feminist book, but it is definitely for a certain category of women, and I just didn't fit the bill.
West also uses a lot of relatable humor in her book. West breaks from her stories to tell humorous side notes and then brings the readers back to the story, “Hello, child. As I have run out of compliments to pay you on your doodling, can you tell me what sort of niche you plan to carve for yourself in the howling existential morass of uncertainty known as the future?” I found her "tangents" to be entertaining and interesting. I used breaks in my narrative to be humorous and break the constant stream of the story. West did this all very well and it benefitted her essays.
I didn't particularly enjoy this book. I found the topics hard to understand and relate to, “I have, in my life, been a considerably thinner person and had a fat person sit next to me on a plane. I have also, more recently, been the fat person that makes other travelers’ faces fall.” I learned that an author must understand his/her audience well and write for them. West's audience was not me, and that's okay. When I write I need to make sure I know whom I am writing for, but also who will end up reading it. West's topics were not inclusive to all people, and that's fine but I felt left out when she stopped incorporating relatable piece into her essays. She was focusing on her audience, and it was not me.
This book was a good feminist book, but it is definitely for a certain category of women, and I just didn't fit the bill.