“Some comics serve up their anxieties just for laughs; Pascoe draws on hers – about love, her body, having babies – to offer provocative (and positive) new perspectives on the world.”

 

NO MAJOR SPOILERS

Comedian Sara Pascoe has done some extensive and interesting research, and now she presents Animal, “The Autobiography of a Female Body”.

The book is a humourous and somewhat satirical look at the way women’s bodies have changed throughout history and illuminates how the media and other agencies have impacted these changes.

Pascoe has done a lot of scientific research to construct this great book and help us understand the female body and the whether the female body we aspire to have in modern society in constructed or evolved over time.

The author tackles some very serious issues including; body image issues, media construction of women, relationships, marriage, and rape. Due to these difficult issues, there is a need to balance a serious tone with subtle humour to make the read easier, Pascoe achieves this perfectly using her comedy background to keep readers comfortable and amused.

I personally listened to an audio version of the book which was read by Pascoe herself, I believe this made the reading experience even more enjoyable because I was able to hear more of her tone in some of the more comedic extracts.

 

Reviewed by:

Catherine Muxworthy, Booksbirdblog

Added 5th February 2019

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Catherine Muxworthy