I wasn't planning on doing another book review so soon, but when a good book comes along I can't resist sharing the awesome. When I heard about what it was, I wanted to read #GIRLBOSS instantly. Sophia Amoruso is the Founder and CEO of Nasty Gal, and this book is half autobiography and half motivational/self-help. I wanted to read it so badly because living in a pretty boring suburb I don't find books related to fashion often (independent NYC bookstores have become my savior), and I thought this book release would be big enough that I'd be able to easily get ahold of it this summer. I eventually bought it in August and read it my first week back at college.
This is a pretty useless statement as far as helping to tell you about this book, but I have to say it: I love this book SO much. What really demonstrates the greatness of the book is the fact that Amoruso and I are very different people. From what she writes in the book I've learned, we do not share many beliefs in common, there's a good chance if we ever met our personalities would clash, and out paths through life (well the path I'm beginning) are polar opposites. But the advice and the way she tells her story is gold.
The autobiographical part of the book gives the reader an idea of how Nasty Gal was founded and the real work that goes into building a business. As the retelling progresses you do get to a time in Amoruso's life where she was committing crimes. Prior to reading the book, I had seen some people commenting that they didn't like it because it perpetuated the idea that crime can be a part of your path to success. Someone might get this idea if they read a really bad summary of Amoruso's life, but when it comes to those events in the book she clears that up right away. Yes, she did commit crimes. No, she is not under any delusion that that was a good choice. She is just as amazed as you are that she never had any serious consequences for these actions. But you shouldn't disregard this part of the book just because of these events. I enjoyed these glimpses into her life because you clearly see how she's grown as a person. I feel like there are always two camps: one saying that you should stick to the person you are, and one saying that you should be changing every second of your life, but really both are going on to make you one cohesive person. The book clearly shows how Amoruso has grown as a person, as well as the parts of her that have remained through all the change. This more than anything humanizes her to me, and aided with convincing me I should be listening to her advice.
The advice side of the book is the part I enjoyed the most. She gave real advice about sticking up for yourself and working hard to become a #GIRLBOSS. This type of advice is always floating around the internet, or popping up in vague quotes that are barely helpful, but I was captivated here because it was so simple. It was like getting advice from someone I respected, but wasn't unaware of how other people think. The advice was useful and applicable to everyone regardless of field or entrepreneurial aspirations. It was motivating because it gave me the urge to organize my goals and stick up for what I want. Even though I'm pretty much at the beginning of my path towards a career, it still got me thinking about decisions I'll have to make in the future, which is pretty important because they're my decisions to make and no one else's. Amoruso is not here to tell you what to do, she is here to tell you how to stand up for yourself, work hard, and how to go above and beyond to become the #GIRLBOSS of your life. That's just the kind of kick in the butt you need sometimes.
The book also features cute illustrations, quotes galore, and profiles of other girl bosses in various careers. The profiles brought in even more advice and showed different career paths, giving a more well rounded definition of what being a #GIRLBOSS is.
Quotes, as always, will be on my Tumblr
Good luck becoming a #GIRLBOSS
xx Jasmine
