So I've been reading A Girl's Gotta Do What a Girl's Gotta Do by Kathleen Baty, and I'm not too impressed. The vast majority of the book is stuff I already know, and some of it is utterly ridiculous. Remember that email that was circulating around the internet a couple of years ago that said women wearing overalls are most likely to be raped? Well, she put that little factoid in her book - that women wearing overalls are likely to be attacked because the attacker could quickly snip the straps of the overalls. Has she ever tried cutting 2 or more layers of denim? Not quick and easy. Besides, in what world do overalls fall right off if the straps are cut? Most women have hips, and hips tend to keep pants from falling off. Remember about 14 years ago when the fashion was to undo the straps of your overalls, pull down the bib, and loop the straps under your crotch? And were overalls falling off left and right then? No! That one false factoid destroyed the credibility of the whole book for me.

But overalls aside, a lot of this book reeks of paranoia without thought. For example, she says that when you are travelling, you should only carry a purse that can be worn diagonally across your body. Question: why is your normal purse and method of carrying your purse suddenly DANGEROUS when travelling? If my purse serves me well in the major city I currently live in, why would it not be suitable in any other major city? She also advises travellers to dress inconspicuously and avoid "flashy" clothing and jewellery. I'd imagine dressing in a "flashy" manner would attract unwanted attention at home too, so why would someone need to be told this? Or are there people who actually think "I would never wear this ridiculously short skirt at home because it attracts too much negative attention, but I'll be perfectly fine wearing it to walk alone through the streets of New York City." And if people do dress in an attention-getting manner at home, they'd doubtless be used to the kind of attention they're going to get, no?

She tells you to look out for suspicious or unusual happenings and individuals when leaving your building. So I walk out to my front doors, looking left I see Crazy Homeless Guy with that device around his head to keep it from falling off, looking right I see Creepy Old Man who always walks around in shorts and is very free with his gaseous emissions. You know what? This is normal. But I'd be more worried about being raped by some former frat boy in khakis.

Overall, this book is not for me. The fact that she talks about being on the subway as a New And Different Experience, and the fact that she has to explicitly tell the reader to fight back against a rapist makes me think that her target reader is more sheltered and cowed. If you aren't nervous walking home from the bus stop at 10 pm, don't bother with this book.