Every so often I binge through satire accounts and Titania McGrath’s tweets always stand out — and yes, she’s put those razor-sharp, performative takes into book form. To date, Titania McGrath has published two books: 'Woke: A Guide to Social Justice' and 'My First Little Book of Intersectional Activism'. Both are extensions of the persona’s picnic of parody, and they lean hard into satirical mockery of performative progressivism, jargon, and the more theatrical corners of online activism.
The first book, 'Woke: A Guide to Social Justice', reads like a mock-manual: part parody, part faux manifesto, with deliberately earnest-sounding advice and over-the-top terminology that lampoons the language of modern identity politics. It’s clever because it mimics the rhythm and rhetoric of genuine handbooks while pushing the ridiculousness to highlight how some discussions can become performative and impenetrable. The tone is acerbic and theatrical, very much in keeping with the Twitter persona’s voice, and it sparked plenty of debate — some people loved the humour, others thought it was provocative in ways that crossed lines. That reaction is part of what the project aims for.
The follow-up, 'My First Little Book of Intersectional Activism', plays with children’s book tropes — simple sentences, bright mock-enthusiasm, and absurd simplifications— to satirise how complex ideas sometimes get flattened into slogans. It’s shorter, punchier, and designed to be shareable; the art and format lean into that parody-of-the-children’s-book look. Both books are best approached expecting satire rather than earnest guidance. They’re enjoyable if you appreciate sharp, theatrical mockery and like thinking about where earnest activism and performative posturing blur. Personally, I find the persona brilliantly provocative: whether you agree or not, the books get people talking and scratching their heads, which to me is part of the fun.