I initially grabbed this book off the shelf because I was drawn to the word bitch staring back at me. Guess I felt a deep inner connection? Anyway, I dove in for what I hoped would be an interesting read and not a crappy feminist hack job. By the time I finished I still wasn't sure if I liked it or not!

She starts out with a long-winded diatribe about women in the media (i.e. celebrities, journalists, political wives, past hollywood starlets) and the current perception of female sexuality. She then spends some time dissecting the book The Rules by Ellen Fein and Sherri Schneider and how this is ruining women everywhere but alternately, that maybe the book isn't so bad! She then segues into a chapter about biblical bitches, namely Lillith (proportedly Adam's first wife in Jewish mythology) and Delilah (Sampson's downfall). This naturally opens the floor to a complaint against the oppressive patriarchal society throughout history unto the present day. This is followed by chapters on notable underage bitches both real and literary (i.e. Amy Fisher & Lolita), notable suicidal/self-destructive bitches like the poets Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton, political bitches(do I even need to give her name??) and a whole chapter devoted to Nicole Brown Simpson and her husband/suspected murderer O.J. Simpson. The grande finale is a psycho-social study of the aging single woman in America and her chances for happiness(not real good odds apparently!).

Now, all that being said, this book really wasn't so bad. The sheer volume of pop culture references alone will keep geeks like me busy for awhile. And if you can pick your way through the confused jumble of feminism and anti-feminism, you'll find that the author really does have a few good points. She's also very funny. I can honestly say that I had a few laugh-out-loud moments. However, if it's been a few years since you took Psych 101, you might have a problem when she goes off on one of her many rampages! She has a tendency to pepper her thoughts with large psychological terms and grand abstract theories.

If any of this sounds like fine readin' to you, then by all means, get yourself a copy but remember, you were warned.