How to Be a Difficult Bitch // self-help book for teens

I requested this book from NetGalley because the premise sounded like my cup of tea.

How to Be a Difficult Bitch: Claim Your Power, Ditch the Haters, and Feel Good Doing It by Halley Bondy, Mary C. Fernandez, Sharon Lynn Pruitt-Young, T.L. Luke, Zara Hanawalt
Published by Zest Books on 5 April, 2022
Genre: New adult, Non-fiction, Self-help, Young adult
# pages: 300
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Rating: ★★★

In the past, being a "difficult bitch" was bad. Girls weren't supposed to call people out for their BS, stand up for themselves, or do their own thing. This book embraces the insult with irreverent humor, encouraging readers to be themselves no matter what, including an exploration of the ways this phrase can be interpreted differently among people of different backgrounds.

Being a powerhouse is a choice. It's a lifestyle. It's a code of ethics. It takes work, a thick skin, and perseverance. In this book, you'll learn the ins and outs of being a Difficult Bitch, from school to friends to body to life.

• I have mixed feelings on this book, all around.
• Laziness is an ableist concept in a society where productivity and hustle culture is of the utmost importance. Did not appreciate reference to laziness because it just perpetuates bad shit.
• Equating the idea that if you don’t own your power is altogether a bad, ableist move
• How is being a difficult bitch legit when you should also consider how your actions of not owning power make you appear “lazy” to other people? I’m autistic and frequently nonverbal, and this is not an easy feat for me. The examples given would have made me feel like complete shit if I were reading this as a teen.
• Despite being a 30yo person, I found the relationship chart helpful to determine whether a relationship in my life is actually a toxic one or in just being petty. It helped me to see that I’m just gaslighting myself and that this relative does, indeed, display toxic traits — especially since I’m frequently expected to do things for them despite having my own life. Just because they’re busier because of the life they chose doesn’t mean I can’t have the boundary of not catering to their every whim.
• Was going fine until the Activist Bitch chapter. Lazy activism is NOT just reposting things, sharing links, and/or being a spectator. Not everyone has the energy/spoons to engage in heavy activism. Again, it’s disappointing that a book about being a difficult bitch and supposedly being in on all the nuances of today’s political climate would insist so much on the usage of the word “lazy” and other ableist concepts. Seriously.
• There were some good parts. Generally speaking, this book is great for teens. Specifically speaking, it is an imperfect work at best that needs more perfecting and accessibility. It was obviously created with non-autistic people in mind by default.