Wednesday 19 November 2014

Review: #Girlboss by Sophia Amoruso


Book: #Girlboss

Author: Sophia Amoruso

Pages: 256 pages

I read it on: My Kindle

I read it in: 2-3 hours

Plot Summary: At seventeen, Sophia Amoruso decided to forgo continuing education to pursue a life of hitchhiking, dumpster diving, and petty thievery. Now, at twenty-nine, she is the Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Nasty Gal, a $100+ million e-tailer that draws A-list publicity and rabid fans for its leading-edge fashion and provocative online persona. Her story is extraordinary—and only part of the appeal of #GIRLBOSS.

This aspirational book doesn’t patronize young women the way many business experts do. Amoruso shows readers how to channel their passion and hard work, while keeping their insecurities from getting in the way. She offers straight talk about making your voice heard and doing meaningful work.

She’s proof that you can be a huge success without giving up your spirit of adventure or distinctive style. As she writes, "I have three pieces of advice I want you to remember: Don’t ever grow up. Don’t become a bore. Don’t let The Man get to you. OK? Cool. Then let’s do this.”

What I Liked: Quick list:
  • Sophia's journey is quite inspiring. I liked reading about her life- how she went from a high school dropout, stealing books and such to, finally, setting up her own vintage store on eBay.. to what Nasty Gal is today. It is always nice to see that an original vision, hard work, attention to details and staying true to who you are .. coupled with timing and other cosmic factors can help anyone turn their lives around. 
  • I also liked her focus on people finding their passion and figuring out ways to monetize it. I know that this is not something that works for everyone, but it is something to keep in mind whilst picking majors in college or deciding on a certain career. Passion is key. Lack of passion creates massive amounts of mid-career angst! I speak from personal experience. 

What I Didn't Like: Quite a few things, actually:
  • I didn't like the casual 'Yo-I-am-so-chill' tone of the book. I get it, you are some sort of a bad gal.. nasty gal.. whatever, but you have written a book, so at least try to write it in a tone that is not this casual.. On the one hand, I guess, this tone feels non-preachy.. but on the other hand, I found it extremely grating. 
  • The writing is strictly average. 
  • The book felt like a massive look-at-me-see-what-I-have-achieved advert! Not just in the bits that Sophia Amoruso had written but also in the little chapters written by other young women entrepreneurs. I would have preferred more learnings and experiences that just plain bragging. I know that any memoir is also some sort of a self-aggrandizement manifesto, but a balance is needed. 
  • Call me a total square, but I don't think anyone deserves snaps and kudos for no longer being a thief! Also, especially, because Sophia Amoruso brags about how she was such an accomplished thief! Seriously?! I get it, people's circumstances are different and they go through all kinds of hellish experiences and have to resort to stealing.. somehow I got the sense that Sophia Amoruso has held back key pieces of information about her life leading up to her thieving days because something about the narrative does not chime well at all.. 
  • My biggest issue with this book is that the author had one important thing to share- about finding and following your passion with a lot of heart and effort- and it is this message that she keeps repeating over and over again in the book. So, it does get a bit repetitive and boring after a point. 

Rating: 2/5 


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