So, speaking the truth isn’t always easy but I believe it’s worth it. And I want you to believe it too. The truth can be empowering, the truth can lead to greater equality, and the world would be incredibly boring if we let all of those people who allegedly know everything, say everything.

This was a great read! I've admired Jess for a while, just because it's not every day a woman from the midlands is on the TV, never mind as an MP. If I am ever harassed, marginalised, silenced, bullied or abused I want Jess Phillips in my corner. Reading this book filled my heart with joy and sadness in equal measure. Jess is a powerful, feisty, opinionated Brummie and I wish there were more voices like hers in both society and Parliament. She has issues she cares passionately about and isn't afraid to say it like it is. The parts of the book which deal with her work with and campaigning for women who have suffered violence and domestic abuse broke my heart. Her determination not to be silenced when giving these women a voice is truly inspirational. Just like some other books I’ve read, it feels a little presumptious to assume that the author is speaking on behalf of all women, we all have such different experiences that you can’t just generalise, but this one wasn’t as bad as some others. There's nothing wrong with being all of those things of course. But women who fall outside of that group, even by one category, know that we do not and never will be allowed to represent all women. Jess Phillips knows the truth . . . and here she shows how scary and sad as well as joyful and liberating the answers can be.' Damian Barr

If you’re thinking, ‘Jess who?’ then I’m glad that there was something about ‘Everywoman’ and ‘truth’ that caught your eye. It was pretty hard to deal with some of the sections, like when she talks about some of the horrific trolling that she has had to encounter. It’s hard to relate to that as someone who has never gone through it, but it’s not something that anyone should have to cope with. Self Promotion - it’s very refreshing to hear someone just straight up talk about how they had to promote themselves to get where they had got. This woman is nothing short of a hero. I love the fact that she has a potty mouth and is also very brazen and open about her reservations about her life as an MP.

Ever since she was elected to Parliament in May 2015, Jess Phillips, the Labour MP for Birmingham Yardley, has been making the headlines for doing what women are simply not supposed to do: speak up. Whether that's for talking about the time she was sexually assaulted, or reading out the names of one hundred and twenty women and girls who were murdered, or about the unnecessary VAT on sanitary products, Jess isn't afraid to stand up and tell the truth. Jess tells the truth even when that means she is threatened, often with rape or even with death. She knows exactly what it's like to be on the frontline in the fight for equality, what it's like to deal with sexist comments day in and day out, what it really means to be a woman trying to change things in a man's world. I tend to get switched off by books in which people just bang on about how great they are, but the (somewhat lengthy) bragging here is offset by vulnerability, honesty and a passion for instigating meaningful change on issues of critical importance. Handled as a piece of writing, it’s kind of shapeless and rambling, sometimes shallow and disingenuous (the line about ‘education, education and education’ – give me strength), and – aside from that encounter while out canvassing – pretty unfunny. In EVERYWOMAN: One Woman's Truths About Speaking The Truth, Jess encourages all women to follow her lead. To stand up and speak up, even when it seems that the world is against them, to dare to alter that world and - maybe - make history. From growing up ininner-city Birmingham in a radical socialist family, through the trials of her teenage and student years, through working at Women's Aid and finally in the Houses of Parliament, Jess shares her experiences and her thoughts on what it means to be a woman today. This book is a mix of laugh out loud hilarious, make you cry unbelievable and shares some completely absurd statistics, like people in the UK donating more to donkey charities than to women's charities (no offence to donkeys, cute beans). I imagine people who like Phillips will like this book too, as it largely mirrors her public profile (which to be fair is consistent with her position that she is 'just herself' as an MP) of a down to earth Champion of Women's Rights. I had wondered what her political stance on other issues was, and she rails against those who suggest that being a feminist leads you to be typecast. So she offers barely anything else in her book. Her economic policy is to campaign for equal earnings between men and women and moan that pink razors cost more (as women are incapable of buying the same product cheaper in a different colour, presumably), and the only other politics mentioned is that more support for victims of abuse is needed. She supported Yvette Cooper's leadership bid, but offers no reasons why. One wonders how anyone could see a strident feminist as only championing one cause.If you’re thinking, ‘Jess, who?’ then I’m glad that there was something about ‘Everywoman’ and ‘truth’ that caught your eye. All in all, I thought this was a great read, I think Jess Phillips has a great future, she’s going to go far. Even if she’s not your cup of tea, this was still a great read. Or you might already know me as that gobby MP who has a tendency to shout about the stuff I care about. Because I'm a woman with a cause, I have been called a feminazi witch, a murderer and threatened with rape. The internet attracts a classy crowd. The problems with this book, again, start with the title: "Everywoman". I assume that instead of suggesting this is about "every woman" she means "Everywoman" in the sense of being just like you and me, salt of the earth, representative of this here gender that we have. Like Moran's book, Phillips has written a book that is really mostly about herself. It's fine to write a memoir or autobiography. It's more of a problem when you don't seem to know if you're writing a book about yourself or about all women. I do not want any particular woman to set herself up as Everywoman, because firstly it's impossible for one individual to represent the huge diversity that exists within this gender, and secondly every time someone tries it is without fail a white, middle class (which she is, whatever people may say about her accent) professional, able-bodied, cisgender, heterosexual woman.