Judy, Patrol Leader by Dorothea Moore

Judy, Patrol Leader by Dorothea Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Oh man, I loved this! Judy, Patrol Leader by Dorothea Moore is a new venture to me; new author, much more ‘Guide’ orientated then many of my normal reads, and yet it’s a delight. A rampant, utter, delight. It’s vivid, heartfelt, ferociously readable and fabulously ridiculous (the AMOUNT of incidents Judy gets involved in!); essentially, it’s brilliant. It’s perhaps not the highest of literature nor is it perhaps the most challenging – much of it reminded me of Enid Blyton at her determined best – but it is delightful.

When it comes to books like this, I’m always conscious that I’m reading them from a very modern perspective. I was a brownie and a guide, but that was three million years ago, and the thought of going back to that fills me with an abject horror. But back in the day, this movement was an option for young women and girls to get together and do something that much of society did not wish them to do: make a difference. Patriarchy, convention, sexism. All the usual sorts of oppressive jazz. And you can feel these themes in Judy, Patrol Leader because they’re not really subtly handled – essentially it’s GUIDES IS GOOD FOR YOU. All the way through. And usually I’d be bucking against that not terribly indirect sort of preaching but honestly, Judy, Patrol Leader makes me not care about it because it works. It makes guides seem like the best thing ever. You get involved in the most ridiculous shenanigans but then it’s okay because you’re a Guide. Guides! Guides! Guides is good!

Moore is a prolific author, and I’d like to hope her other books are as delightful at this. I will be searching them out on the strength of it.

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