Everywoman: One Woman’s Truth About Speaking the Truth

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The central message seemed to be that women need more confidence in their abilities, mainly in the world of work but also their capability to have a career and children. This leads to a heartfelt but flawed defence of all-women shortlists. Phillips compares three women elected in this way against three men, and says "look, these women specially selected by me are more qualified than these particular male counterparts". So this not only proves nothing, but would also allow nepotistic employers to choose their mates for the top jobs so long as they can find some examples of employees who were chosen on merit but weren't top performers. I doubt Phillips would think that acceptable as a Labour MP. She also asserts that being the 'best woman for the job' is a nonsensical comment because no-one says that Jessica Ennis won 'girlie gold', a terrible analogy as women's sporting events only exist because the best women cannot compete with the best men. So, speaking the truth isn’t always easy but I believe it’s worth it. And I want you to believe it too. The truth can be empowering, the truth can lead to greater equality, and the world would be incredibly boring if we let all of those people who allegedly know everything, say everything. 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. 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. I've always been quite fond of Jess Phillips. She speaks her mind (sometimes a little too much), but at heart, she seems to care about what she does, and genuinely wants to make a difference. Yes, she wears her heart on her sleeve, in a working environment which doesn't really accept that sort of thing, and I respect her for it. Politics really should be done differently, and generally speaking, I like those who challenge the status quo.

Leveraging tokenism - accept that spot as the token woman on the all-male panel but bring your own demands. 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. 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’. 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. 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.

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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.

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.

I read this book in one weekend while house-sitting for my sister. It was so hot out that I basically hibernated on the sofa in front of a fan and devoured this book.

This is part-memoir, part-reflection on womanhood. Jess Phillips doesn’t actually discuss her political views to any great extent in this book, she primarily focuses on women’s issues, such as domestic violence, rape, the gender pay gap, and the ways that women are silenced in the work place. Her views on the importance of feminism and equality are explained clearly and powerfully. Although this may sound heavy going, the book is actually quite light hearted in general, and I laughed out loud at some parts.

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By demanding to be heard, by dealing with our imposter syndrome, by being cheerleaders, doers not sayers, creating our own networks and by daring to believe that we can make a difference, we can. If you're thinking, 'Jess, who?' then I'm glad that there was something about 'Everywoman' and 'truth' that caught your eye. 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. Jess Phillips knows the truth . . . and here she shows how scary and sad as well as joyful and liberating the answers can be.' Damian Barr Ever since she was elected to Parliament in May 2015, Jess Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, has been making the headlines for doing what women are simply not supposed to do: speak up. Whether that's for talking about the time she was sexually assaulted, or reading out the names of one hundred and twenty women and girls who were murdered, or about the unnecessary VAT on sanitary products, Jess isn't afraid to stand up and tell the truth. Jess tells the truth even when that means she is threatened, often with rape or even with death. She knows exactly what it's like to be on the frontline in the fight for equality, what it's like to deal with sexist comments day in and day out, what it really means to be a woman trying to change things in a man's world.