Cows by Dawn O’Porter – Book Review

What a good book to read! Now this is what I call serendipity with books, which has been happening with me a lot lately. I went to the library a couple of times and every time, this book just caught my attention, probably because of its cover. I hadn’t heard any of my friends or fellow book bloggers mention this book in a while, so I wasn’t sure, if this book will be any good. But I felt I had to respect the signs, and so borrowed it. I had nothing to lose really.

I am so glad I borrowed this book though. I finished reading it over a weekend. Although the book is about 300+ pages long, it is written in a very easy to read narrative. The story is about three women, who basically decide not to ‘follow the herd’. One is a thirty six year old blogger who writes openly about herself on subjects supporting feminism and freedom of choice. The second protagonist is a working single mom who is forty two years old and has worked hard to make a good life for her daughter, but a single unfortunate incident with social media goes horribly wrong, and turns her life upside down. The third woman is struggling with depression due to the death of her mother at an early age and then the death of her twin sister. She has a risk of getting cancer, and really wants to have a baby. Three different women, three different stories and struggles, and yet, their actions link them to each other by the end of the story.

I really loved Cam (the blogger’s) articles in the book, they gave me a much needed inspiration and strength to be myself and be strong, when I needed it. I also found Tara’s character so realistic- I think many of us can relate to her struggles, of being a good mom, working hard in her career, and being shamed by social media or being judged by strangers for her choices. What happens with her, angered the hell out of me. But I was so glad to read how she goes through shit, but turns her life around in the end. That’s the spirit girl! Stella is portrayed as the least likeable character, but I realised, even I was judging her and being a hypocrite, just based on her actions. I could not see what she was really going through, or the pain she felt, or her anger towards the world, until I reached the end. We all are ‘bad feminists’ sometimes (as Roxanne Gay would say). But if at least if I realise I am being a bad feminist, there is still hope for me 🙂

The other aspect that the story touches upon are friendships. Maybe I’m being sexist in saying this, but I have observed that close friendships between men and women differ significantly in terms of expectations. Women need their girl friends a lot more, than men need their guy friends. We bank on our friends to get us through the toughest of times, or to celebrate our joys with. Through this book, the author throws light on how some friendships are toxic, misleading, and that you would be better off being without such friends in your life. She also shows, how sometimes deep connections are formed with seemingly strangers, or people you have never met, or met over the internet- and that is not strange or not an anomaly. She tells us, through this story, that we need to be kind to each other, that we need to stand up for each other, and be there for each other, and it doesn’t matter if we don’t even know who the other woman is. There are some passages from the book that I clipped on my phone while reading, here are some of the snippets.

Have you read any books recently, that really inspired you? A book on feminism or racism? Or a book on overcoming adversity, or on awesome friendships? I’d love to read some recommendations? 🙂