In Praise of Difficult Women: Life Lessons From 29 Heroines Who Dared to Break the Rules

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Now in paperback, this witty, irreverent narrative explores what we can learn from the extraordinary legacies of 30 iconic women-from Frida Kahlo and Liz Taylor to Nora Ephron and Lena Dunham-who forged their own unique paths in the world. This witty, irreverent paperback explores the legacies of 30 extraordinary women--from Frida Kahlo to Liz Taylor to Nora Ephron--who give inspiration and instruction. Smart, sassy, and unapologetically feminine, this elegantly illustrated book is an ode to the bold and charismatic women of modern history. Best-selling author Karen Karbo (The Gospel According to Coco Chanel) spotlights a group of spirited rule breakers who charted their way with little regard for expectations- Amelia Earhart, Helen Gurley Brown, Carrie Fisher, Hillary Clinton, Amy Poehler, and Shonda Rhimes, among others. Their lives--imperfect, elegant, messy, glorious--provide inspiration and instruction for the new age of feminism we have entered. Karbo distills these lessons with empathy and humor, examining the universal themes that connect us to these mesmerizing personalities today- success and style, love and authenticity, daring and courage. Being "difficult," Karbo reveals, might not make life easier. But it can make it more fulfilling--whatever that means for you.

Reviews

Its the unexpected stories that are some of the most beguilingThese are messy, inspiring lives lived in public by necessity or choice. They often offer great humor too. San Francisco Chronicle

"I think that this is a book that everyone should read and one that everyone should have on their shelves." - Ms. Nose in a Book

I love the idea of grabbing a cuppa, this book, and just diving right in.Its such a great pick-me-up. Reading about these awesome women, their struggles, their successes, and how inspiring they are - just puts a smile on my face. They are awe-inspiring stories that I gobbled up with joy.
--abookishwayoflife.blogspot.com

This book is a total inspiration for those that want to shake things up a little bit and push boundaries further for womenAll I can say is I now have a very long list of biographies and memoirs on and by the woman that appear in this book. abookishaffair.blogspot.com

An engaging, inspiring collection where I enjoyed learning about amazing modern women and was left wanting to learn more. doingdeweydecimal.com

The author chose a great selection of women to represent the "difficult" woman.
cerebralgirl.blogspot.com

Karbo has a knack for the nuances and sidebars that leave the reader not just a carrier of new facts, but of fascination and admiration for her subjects. The Register-Guard

"This book is a history lesson that goes down like cotton candy: pink, sweet, and fun as hell. Dont miss it." NextTribe

With occasional anecdotes from her own life, Karbo delves into her personal relationship with each of these womenall of them important touchstones for her. LA Review of Books

In Praise of Difficult Women is a collection of short biographies of well-known women who are difficult in what Karbo thinks is the best sense strong, independent, smart, assertive."
TheSeattle Times

Karbo, of Portland, Oregon, is embracing being a difficult woman in her newest book, which celebrates other women who broke the rules. Wisconsin State Journal, AP News

Refreshingly frank, Karbos book celebrates women who forged provocative identities and found life fulfillment despite the odds they faced. Inspiring reading about women who have shown that its all right to occupy our humanity. Kirkus

"The women chosen are eclectic, while the narrative is researched and informed yet conversationally welcoming...Karbos fondness for rule breakers and benders is clear, and she defends them through character quirks and misstepsreal women lead real and flawed lives."Foreword

In Praise of Difficult Women offers many words of wisdom, including sage advice from fashion titan Diana Vreeland, who noted that the only right life to live is the one you know you want, and you make it for yourself.Women's Voices ForeSight

Karbo examines the universal themes that connect each of us to these icons of female badassery and argues that being difficult can lead to a more fulfilling life. BookRiot

In 29 takes, Karen Karbo catalogs the ways in which a woman rankles: She can be independent, exacting, impatient, persistent, opinionated, angry, unaccommodating, ambitious, restless, confident, brilliant, articulate, or just plain visible. Nothing is lost on Karbo, from Elizabeth Taylors double eyelashes to the contents of Martha Gellhorns travel bag to Amelia Earharts homemade roller coaster. Youll need two copies!Stacy Schiff, best-selling author ofCleopatra: A Life and The Witches

Part biography, part inspiration,all partsfascinating,In Praise of Difficult Womenis a wise and hilarious reminder of the importance of being a pain in the ass. Keep it by your bedside.Meghan Daum, best-selling author ofThe Unspeakable

Give me difficult women or give me death. Karen KarbosIn Praise of Difficult Womenbrings us all back to life by illuminating the paths of women who refused to shut up, sit down, hold still, behave, or smile on anyones terms but their own. A perfect manifesto as to why now is the time to get loud, unflinching, and brazen, exactly as we are.Lidia Yuknavitch, author ofThe Misfits Manifesto

Difficult seems absolutely delightful in these absorbing, inspiring, and often surprising portraits that do more than entertain. They raise important questions about femininity and culture, power and braveryand make us ask these same questions about our mothers, sisters, daughters, and ourselves. Though Karbo masterfully covers a wide range of exceptional women, what unites them is the way they make difficult become a quality not to avoid but to aspire to with gusto.Lori Gottlieb, New York Times best-selling author ofMarry Him

Author Bio

KAREN KARBO is the author of multiple award-winning novels, memoirs and works of nonfiction. Her best-selling "Kick-Ass Women" series includes The Gospel According to Coco Chanel- Life Lessons from the World's Most Elegant Woman, which was an international bestseller. Karbo's short stories, essays, articles and reviews have appeared in Elle, Vogue, Esquire, Outside, the New York Times, Salon.com, and other publications. She is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Fiction, and a winner of the General Electric Younger Writer Award. Karbo lives in Portland, Oregon, where she continues to kick ass. CHERYL STRAYED (foreword) is the author of the #1 New York Times best-selling memoir Wild, the best-selling advice essay collection Tiny Beautiful Things, the novel Torch, and the collection of quotations Brave Enough. Wild was chosen by Oprah Winfrey as her first selection for Oprah's Book Club 2.0, and made into an Oscar-nominated movie. Strayed's essays have been published in The Best American Essays, the New York Times, the Washington Post Magazine, Vogue, Salon, The Sun, Tin House, and elsewhere. Strayed is the co-host, along with Steve Almond, of the WBUR podcast Dear Sugar Radio, which originated with her popular Dear Sugar advice column on The Rumpus. She lives in Portland, Oregon.