Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

In her first book of comic strips, Emma reflects on social and feminist issues by means of simple line drawings, dissecting the mental load, i.e. all that invisible and unpaid organising, list-making and planning women do to manage their lives, and the lives of their family members. In her strips Emma deals with themes ranging from maternity leave (it is not a vacation!), domestic violence, the clitoris, the violence of the medical world on women during childbirth, and other feminist issues, and she does so in a straightforward way that is both hilarious and deadly serious.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

[DEBUT] In straightforward storytelling, acclaimed French cartoonist/activist Emma's debut collection draws on her own experience and that of her friends to explore male/female work and household roles, childbirth, body image, work/family balance, and understanding the female anatomy (note an excellent comic about the clitoris). Other topics include police aggression toward immigrants in France and the overworked/underpaid employee. A thought-provoking fictional account of a country in which women do not cover their breasts reveals how something that seems liberating can become tyrannical when custom becomes law. Simple drawings, with lots of negative space so as not to overwhelm, present an enlightening and sometimes lighthearted look at women and society today and how it can be improved. VERDICT For adults and teens interested in learning about the feminist perspective. [Previewed in Jody Osicki's "Graphically Speaking," LJ 6/15/18.]-Lucy Roehrig, Ann Arbor Dist. Lib., MI © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly Review

This spirited graphic treatise, growing from a viral web cartoon, aims to provide a friendly introduction to contemporary feminist issues. Emma's smiling cartoon avatar discusses the division of work and home labor, the problems of navigating a hostile workplace, sexual objectification, the blowback women face for getting angry or aggressive, and the location of the clitoris. A few chapters digress into other progressive issues in the cartoonist's home country of France, including workers' rights and discrimination against Muslim immigrants. The art is limited to sparse, squiggly drawings, mostly talking heads, slotted between blocks of cursive font text. Although Emma covers an impressive range of topics, her treatment is heavy on anecdote and opinion, light on in-depth analysis or factual information. The strongest section is the final chapter, "The Holidays," a personal piece on childbirth and adapting to the stress of life with an infant; it manages to blend the personal and the political with precise, honest insights. Most of the book, however, feels underdeveloped, typical perhaps of a web-posted piece but not as well adapted to a larger print volume. That said, the timeliness of the book and its easy reading poise it to be a likely gift buy to mark feminist friendships. (Oct.) c Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

With the kind of insight one only gains through a lifetime of first-hand experience, French blogger, artist, and writer Emma asks the reader to question the ways Western culture undervalues women yet expects them to disproportionately shoulder the mental load of invisible and unpaid labor: the endless daily responsibilities, decisions, and organization that ensure things run smoothly at home and work. Vignettes focusing on microaggressions, sexual harassment and objectification, and the professional and personal costs of motherhood are conveyed through a combination of drawings and dialogue, longer text passages, and personal narratives. The somewhat flat illustrations are simply drawn figures set against extensive white space, yet they convey a remarkable amount of information through body language and facial expressions. The intensity and universality of the issues can feel overwhelming, but the gravity is tempered somewhat by pointed humor. What is so clearly evident throughout is the physical and emotional toll extracted from women and people of color by societies that continue to value white men above all others. Timely and necessary. --Summer Hayes Copyright 2018 Booklist