Rating: 4/5
Writer and journalist Caitlin Moran has collected together articles she has been writing for The Times in a self-styled manifesto. From Bowie, to Shakespeare, to politics, to coffee, Moran has thoughts on everything under the sun.
Easy Reading
The unique format of Moranifesto allows for an easy reading experience; there’s no commitment because you can pick it up and scan through the articles to find something you’re interested in, or skip over the things you don’t care for.
I am recommending Moranifesto with a slight warning: it is very English. All the reference points, the culture, even the sense of humour is all quintessentially English. Because of this, I’m not too sure how well it would translate for readers from different countries. At the same time, it definitely offers an insight to the English way of life.
Moran divides her articles into 3 main sections: ‘The Twenty-First Century, Where We Live’, ‘The Feminisms’ and ‘The Future’. There’s a lot of politics in the first section, a lot of feminism in the second, and a lot of out of date references in the third.
Why I recommend: Creating Your Own Manifesto
I would recommend Moranifesto to anyone: the length of the articles makes it perfect for picking up and reading in that spare ten minutes you have but don’t know how to fill.
Personally, I took it to work and left it on my desk so that I’d have something to read in my break. It didn’t matter if I didn’t have long or got interrupted because it was super easy to dip in and out of.
It was also an important reminder that being politically or socially aware of your own situation, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve taken the other point of view into account. There’s always more to know about the lives you aren’t living and just because you see them on the news or read about them on social media, doesn’t mean you have a full understanding. Taking a little time to appreciate the words someone uses to describe their own situation can help keep you open-minded.
My final reason for recommending Moranifesto is that it’s bloody funny. Moran is an intelligent and ironic writer and whilst some of her columns were a little harder to read due to the emotional content, the majority of them are lighthearted and sarcastic. There’s a biting wit to Moran which makes her book a lot of fun to read.
Moranifesto ends on a note which advises the readers to create their own manifesto, and then plots Moran’s actual manifesto. And this was my favourite part of the entire book. It’s intelligence and hilarity summed up Moran’s tone throughout the book.
Whilst her comment about using Boris Johnson as a ‘store front’ PM no longer holds the humour it was intended to, and the lack of progress (in fact, the step backwards) that I see in the world since Moranifesto was first published in 2013 is more than a little sad, the hope that fills this book is incredible.
If the world around you is looking pretty bleak, and I wouldn’t blame you if that is what you’re feeling, I suggest you pick this book up. Sure, it’s a little bit out of date, but it’s a reminder of the hope we all need right about now.
The Struggling Graduate 