Everywoman: One Woman’s Truth About Speaking the Truth

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If you’re thinking, ‘Jess, who?’ then I’m glad that there was something about ‘Everywoman’ and ‘truth’ that caught your eye.

Jess Phillips is refreshing, her no-nonsense, straight-forward approach aims to open politics up to all and that can only be a good thing. The UK political system continues to be dominated by upper-class, privately-educated men when surely it is in the interests of the country if the political system is representative of the people that it aims to represent; otherwise it is only beneficial to very few people. Jess is a state-educated, working class woman and also the current MP for Birmingham Yardley, she is often criticised in the media for being loud, outspoken and opinionated – all traits that if spoken about a man would be viewed positively. The problems with this book, again, start with the title: "Everywoman". I assume that instead of suggesting this is about "every woman" she means "Everywoman" in the sense of being just like you and me, salt of the earth, representative of this here gender that we have. Like Moran's book, Phillips has written a book that is really mostly about herself. It's fine to write a memoir or autobiography. It's more of a problem when you don't seem to know if you're writing a book about yourself or about all women. I do not want any particular woman to set herself up as Everywoman, because firstly it's impossible for one individual to represent the huge diversity that exists within this gender, and secondly every time someone tries it is without fail a white, middle class (which she is, whatever people may say about her accent) professional, able-bodied, cisgender, heterosexual woman.It was pretty hard to deal with some of the sections, like when she talks about some of the horrific trolling that she has had to encounter. It’s hard to relate to that as someone who has never gone through it, but it’s not something that anyone should have to cope with. Just like some other books I’ve read, it feels a little presumptious to assume that the author is speaking on behalf of all women, we all have such different experiences that you can’t just generalise, but this one wasn’t as bad as some others. It's semi-autobiographical, and we learn a lot about Jess' teenage self, her siblings, family etc. Particularly uplifting was a chapter on sisterhood, where Jess relays stories of her mother and mother-in-law, and stories her friends have shared about women helping other women. I also liked the chapter where Jess covers self promotion and how we need to do it more, noting the fine line. So why only three stars? Well... I have a deeper unease about this book which I can't put out of my mind. If I start with the Caitlin Moran quote that's prominently displayed, it may become clearer. Caitlin Moran wrote a book entitled "How To Be A Woman" which was also interesting, readable, funny, etc. But it wasn't a book about how to be a woman; it was a book about how to be Caitlin Moran. Huge swathes of women's experiences were not considered in Moran's book, because they weren't important to Moran personally.

Self Promotion - it’s very refreshing to hear someone just straight up talk about how they had to promote themselves to get where they had got. I imagine people who like Phillips will like this book too, as it largely mirrors her public profile (which to be fair is consistent with her position that she is 'just herself' as an MP) of a down to earth Champion of Women's Rights. I had wondered what her political stance on other issues was, and she rails against those who suggest that being a feminist leads you to be typecast. So she offers barely anything else in her book. Her economic policy is to campaign for equal earnings between men and women and moan that pink razors cost more (as women are incapable of buying the same product cheaper in a different colour, presumably), and the only other politics mentioned is that more support for victims of abuse is needed. She supported Yvette Cooper's leadership bid, but offers no reasons why. One wonders how anyone could see a strident feminist as only championing one cause. All in all, I thought this was a great read, I think Jess Phillips has a great future, she’s going to go far. Even if she’s not your cup of tea, this was still a great read. This is required reading for anyone interested in gender relations, who thinks the patriarchy is a thing and who wants to understand how it works, what they can do to combat it. That means, teenage girls, middle aged women, teenage boys and middle aged men.I tend to get switched off by books in which people just bang on about how great they are, but the (somewhat lengthy) bragging here is offset by vulnerability, honesty and a passion for instigating meaningful change on issues of critical importance. Handled as a piece of writing, it’s kind of shapeless and rambling, sometimes shallow and disingenuous (the line about ‘education, education and education’ – give me strength), and – aside from that encounter while out canvassing – pretty unfunny.

This woman is nothing short of a hero. I love the fact that she has a potty mouth and is also very brazen and open about her reservations about her life as an MP. Or you might already know me as that gobby MP who has a tendency to shout about the stuff I care about. Because I’m a woman with a cause, I have been called a feminazi witch, a murderer and threatened with rape. The internet attracts a classy crowd. This is a plain-talking, no-nonsense account of Jess Phillips' life, how she got into politics, and her opinions on certain key issues, such as abuse against women. I LOVE the strength of her voice throughout - it really does make you think no, we shouldn't put up with this nonsense, and that's great. That’s doesn’t mean this is a guidebook of any kind of political treatise. It is a “from the heart” overview of the world we live in, the perspective of one woman, but goodness what an inspiring woman. Lord knows we need more MPs like Jess Phillips . . . as fresh as mountain air amid the Westminster tumbleweed in this refreshingly bracing memoir." ( Metro)

This book is a mix of laugh out loud hilarious, make you cry unbelievable and shares some completely absurd statistics, like people in the UK donating more to donkey charities than to women's charities (no offence to donkeys, cute beans).

This was a great read! I've admired Jess for a while, just because it's not every day a woman from the midlands is on the TV, never mind as an MP. There's nothing wrong with being all of those things of course. But women who fall outside of that group, even by one category, know that we do not and never will be allowed to represent all women. Partly her life story, partly her opinions on key issues such as abuse against women, the book was compelling throughout. You could feel the raw emotion that she was pouring into this book, you know that she truly cares. I loved this book and I greatly admire Jess Phillips. This is a plain speaking guide on how she got into politics and how she handles all the shit now she is there. Written shortly after Jo Cox’s death, she examines how the stakes are set for women in positions of power and how to deal with attempts to silence women’s voices. If you’re thinking, ‘Jess who?’ then I’m glad that there was something about ‘Everywoman’ and ‘truth’ that caught your eye.Don't get the idea that this is a dry, weighty, preachy tome, it is nothing of the sort. It is full of warmth and humour, filled with the loud and proud Brummie voice that Jess is so well known for. I had the privilege to hear her speak last year in Birmingham and she was such a wonderful speaker, full of wit and anecdote. How I wish every one could have an MP like Jess. How I wish we all had a cheerleader, a friend like Jess. Where were we? Oh yeah, Jess Phillips is awesome and Kier Starmer should not be in the position he is in. Because every time he has been across the Prime Minister at the weekly questions, he has massively failed and come up short. I mean, how ineffective do you have to be to follow Jeremy Corbyn and still look shit? This book is an interesting look at what it’s like being a woman predominantly in the political sphere but the material is applicable to many other careers particularly those where a woman has dared to attempt to participate in and challenge an otherwise patriarchal career. Jess talks about her upbringing and the struggle of balancing having a family and maintaining her political career and she talks openly about the sacrifices she has had to make to continue doing her job. She discusses online abuse and the threats she has received simply for having a political opinion and she talks about times she has been patronised for daring to think she can ‘have it all’.