They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but let's be honest: in many cases, we do anyway. So about the cover of #GIRLBOSS... let's see... we have a young woman, Sophia Amoruso, wearing a business suit. Hands on her hips and confident look on her face, she looks like she's ready to take on the world.
So what's this book about? Is it a memento tearing down the misogynistic foundations of the good ol' boys, or is it something different? Something that doesn't quite align to the powerful image displayed on the cover?
Let's get into it!
I'm a bit of a conundrum: I like reading and learning a lot, but I'm a notoriously awful reader. It takes me forever to get through books, so the idea of library books makes me super nervous because I can almost never get through one book in a two week time period.
As an OverDrive / Kindle user, I placed #GIRLBOSS on hold some time in mid-May and got placed behind something like 14 other people. Honestly, when I finally got the notification that it was available for me to read, I had totally forgotten that I had reserved it.
That all said, I loved this book and finished it well within my two week checkout time. Amoruso writes in a way that is easily accessible and enjoyable. She tells a lot of stories from her own life, and she's led quite the interesting life.
Let's not beat around the bush and answer the question you're probably curious about: is this a book specifically written for women? No. Well, mostly no. Amoruso does make direct quotations to readers as if they are women readers, but those are few and far between. And this book does empower women in business but not at all in a "down with men!" kind of way.
Clearly, I enjoyed the book, so I obviously found value as a man!
If there's one word I can use to describe Amoruso's whole tone throughout the book, it's authenticity. She tells it how it is and isn't afraid to share how her own views have progressed over time. Namely, she describes her earlier life as a young woman against capitalism, but now she sees the merits and benefits of it.
What she also does well is that there are constant bits of practical advice that I'm not even sure she purposefully pens in here as advice bits. For example, she talks about how the small thumbnail pictures on eBay were super important to keep in mind in the early days of Nasty Gal. It's that kind of stuff that is still relevant today, and this book is littered with gold like this.
Working in the fashion industry, Amoruso does not shy away from encouraging women to dress up for their own sake. Whereas a traditional feminist mentality may hold that a woman should not have to dress up for men, Amoruso specifically notes that dressing up can instill a sense of confidence with that woman, and I can relate to that, too, as a man. Confidence is a core competency of a leader, so I'm glad to see Amoruso's perspective here by holding this line in a way that encourages women instead of demeaning them. (Side note: we'll analyze confidence as a key competency in a future post!)
This is a really well structured book. While Amoruso tends to jump around in her timeline, it is never frustrating and makes sense in its own right. She delivers great content on both and practical and entertainment perspectives. This is an excellent book for men and women alike, especially for young professionals living in this new world of technology and change. Amoruso's authenticity and story telling make this a very easy book to recommend to anybody.
SUMMARY
Sophia Amoruso shares the captivating story of Nasty Gal and her own personal growth in a way that empowers women and men alike. Her authentic style is one that anybody can relate with, and bits of business advice dispersed throughout the book are extremely valuable.
(To understand how I review books on LYEATT, check out the post behind this link.)
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