When a book comes recommended by none other than The GC herself – Gemma Collins, of TOWIE and faceplanting the floor on Dancing On Ice fame – you know you’re in for a bold, brash and thoroughly unapologetic read. Comprised of a series of passionate, furious essays tackling everything from class bias in the workplace to the cynical commodification of illness on social media, Poor Little Sick Girls is a call to arms for the generation of women who came of age surrounded by a stirring mix of Avril Lavigne, Tammy Girl and fourth-wave feminism.
Its author Ione Gamble – creator of the female-focused Polyester zine and podcast – was busy establishing herself as a kickass heroine long before Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel arrived back on the scene. In this, her first book, she charts her battles against Crohn’s disease, obesity and the stigma attached to working-class individuals entering the publishing industry while deftly illustrating how her personal experiences are the product of wider, systematic flaws in the modern status quo.
Particular highlights include a forensic examination of the rise and fall of Tumblr and an ode to the humble bed that will have you yearning for an early night and a cup of Horlicks. At a time when supermarket bookshelves are overflowing with self-help guides on how to become a girlboss, Gamble offers a reassuringly realistic and ferociously well-informed alternative.
Poor Little Sick Girls, Ione Gamble (Dialogue)
Price: £16.99 Info: here
words RACHEL REES