Shreya Sen-Handley wrote a wildly popular column about body parts and body fluids, flings and romantic encounters. As readers, young and old, began to write back to her, Shreya stepped back to think about it all: her body, her writing and her life. Intensely personal and utterly universal, this is a book about everything: masturbation and the first kiss, pregnancy and sagging breasts, the wrong man and the right man. It is a tale of triumphs and tragedies, injustices (on a global scale) and ecstasy (the little ones we can all identify with). Funny, sad, serious and sometimes, very, very rude, Memoirs of My Body is the story of one woman and of Everywoman too.
A UNESCO Cities of Literature Best Reads of 2017, Best Non-fiction Book of the Year at the NWS Writing Awards 2018, International Women’s Day 2019 pick by the worldwide book-sharing organisation Book Fairies, and a WH Smith and Oxford Bookstores bestseller in India
Praise for the book:
‘An edgy, funny, always feisty, sometimes sad, story of a sparky woman’s very identifiable but deeply personal adventures that everyone should read, laugh over and really think about.’ – Prajwal Parajuly, New York Times bestselling author
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‘Sharp, hilarious, and relatable are three words that best describe Shreya Sen-Handley’s book Memoirs of My Body… She is funny; she’s relevant; and she’s in touch…Sen-Handley manages to reach out to an audience that is often ignored in literary non-fiction: the youth of the nation…Sen-Handley’s book is rude — very, very rambunctiously and delightfully rude. She is candid, not coy; she is shameless, not shy. These qualities alone make her a delightful narrator. It was a thrill to read a joyful feminist…Memoirs of My Body (is) a pleasure to read and extremely hard to put down.’ – Hindustan Times
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‘In this provocative book…Sen-Handley’s writing is fresh and uncompromising. This sassy, engaging book is at once Sen-Handley’s story and a universal one. Men and women will find the book challenging and will have much to learn from it.’ – Business Standard
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‘A distinctive, teasing, humorous voice…(but) not just humour, Shreya’s writing is also lyrically beautiful.’ – The Asian Age
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‘Witty, no holds barred, thought provoking, unputdownable — these are just some of the adjectives that can be used to describe Shreya Sen Handley’s Memoirs of My Body.’ – The New Indian Express
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‘…A big bold book…a glorious romp through growing up and getting wise…thought provoking, heartfelt, and witty.’ – William Ivory, three-time BAFTA nominated television, film & theatre writer
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‘(Her) writing stirs the ashes of despair and desire – that dangerous combination of anger and of hope which is essential to start the human revolution…It was a delight and privilege to read (this) book.’ – Stephen Lowe, award-winning playwright
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‘Nearly missed my bus stop, I was so engrossed!’ – Paula Rawsthorne, award-winning author
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‘As a male, I found Memoirs of My Body to be an entertaining and fascinating read. It’s candid, hilarious, harrowing at times but ultimately empowering. Both deeply and intimately personal and universal, it looks particularly at how the female body is claimed, controlled and used by society. Highly recommended – an eye opener when I thought my eyes were already pretty open.’ – Darren Simpson, award-winning author
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‘Searingly honest and very witty, like having a conversation with a good friend.’ – Bromley House Library, founded 1816
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‘Shreya has found a unique way to talk about the things we don’t talk about. In her new book, Memoirs of My Body, (she) shines a light on the unspoken and off-limits, questioning our unwritten expectations and exploring the damage they are doing…The experiences discussed in Memoirs of My Body may be personal ones but there is universality to them. They render empathy and understanding, and readers may not think of their body parts in quite the same way again. Instead, they may begin to question how they think and challenge the status quo, something Shreya does with a wry humour…Much of the fun comes as the author points out life’s absurdities but the book also shows the damage attitudes can wreak. Weight to her arguments is added through an accompaniment of facts and studies…Sen-Handley’s experiences of ingrained racism, sexism and abuse are difficult to read but we are never more than a flick away from her sense of fun and mischief. In using the physical to explain the societal, the writer paints a picture that’s as truthful as it is concerning. I urge you to read it. It might even change you.’ – Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature
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Available from:
Shreya Sen-Handley 