Not That Kind of Girl
A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned"
Ratings53
Average rating3
15
A Young Woman Tells You What She's "Learned"
Ratings53
Average rating3
"If I could take what I've learned and make one menial job easier for you, or prevent you from having the kind of sex where you feel you must keep your sneakers on in case you want to run away during the act, then every misstep of mine was worthwhile. I'm already predicting my future shame at thinking I had anything to offer you, but also my future glory in having stopped you from trying an expensive juice cleanse or thinking that it was your fault when the person you are dating suddenly backs away, intimidated by the clarity of your personal mission here on earth. No, I am not a sexpert, a psychologist or a dietician. I am not a mother of three or the owner of a successful hosiery franchise. But I am a girl with a keen interest in having it all, and what follows are hopeful dispatches from the frontlines of that struggle."--
Reviews with the most likes.
Navel gazing at its worst. After forcing myself through approximately 50 pages of this vapid “memoir,” I couldn't stomach anymore - even as a hate read. We get it, Lena. You're the smartest, funniest girl in the room and you don't give a damn what people think about your body or your love life.
The best part of the book (by far) was the illustration work at the start of each chapter.
I'm glad I heard not-so-great reviews about this book, because I came into it with low expectations.
I can see how it would be harder to enjoy if you are not a woman in your 20's, because a lot like Girls, it is very essentially mid twenties: a young women grappling with childhood as much as recent adult years, unsure of how to move forward doing what she knows she wants to do, uncompromising, in both personal and professional life. Isn't that true of all of us young females? There's a certain hopeful terror for people our age. I found the essays relatable; her feelings and her takeaways are not ones of a wisened woman, just a girl who grew up and is still growing up.
I love the writing style. It's hilariously neurotic, brutally honest and at times, startlingly poetic. But it's not pretty. It's not always funny. I like that. It's unabashedly self-absorbed. We're all self-absorbed. It's a little weird, and a little dramatic, but mostly it's real and very poignant for the confused 20-something. I truly think it touches something in all of us, artists especially.
I'm not going to lie, my resounding thoughts on autobiographical accounts are that, for the most part, they shouldn't not be written in your twenties! I also find the idea of these being ‘essays' somewhat misleading as I'd definitely see this more as a biographical insight into Lena's life and doesn't really set up to deliver any answers to a question or evidence anything as clearly as perhaps an academic paper would.
What I liked about this book was that Dunham is particularly direct about parts of us that we feel we should keep hidden or ‘too personal to talk about' when perhaps we should be thinking about these topics. At no point do I feel she sets herself up as being the role model of a generation and that thirdly she's not afraid to admit her mistakes and be judged for them.
I debate whether this was a timely publication in the vain of what Dunham had intended but it had it poignancy and charm.
I blame my book club for this one. I didn't love this book, but it was fun to listen to on my morning walk to work. (I listened to the audiobook.) Lena Dunham has a great ability to describe her experiences in a way that seem to provide more generalizable insights on what it's like to grow up as an awkward, anxious, and privileged young woman in our culture. The scope of her insights may be narrow, but it is nonetheless informative, and parts of the book made me chuckle or cringe as I remembered the similarly dumb ways that have I navigated similar social and professional pressures.
