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Start giftingIn Praise of Difficult Women
Life Lessons from 29 Heroines Who Dared to Break the Rules
Narrator
Bernadette Dunne
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Length
11 hours 17 minutes
Language
English
From Frida Kahlo and Elizabeth Taylor to Nora Ephron, Carrie Fisher, and Lena Dunham, this witty narrative explores what we can learn from the imperfect and extraordinary legacies of twenty-nine iconic women who forged their own unique paths in the world.
Smart, sassy, and unapologetically feminine, In Praise of Difficult Women is an ode to the bold and charismatic women of modern history. Bestselling author Karen Karbo spotlights the spirited rule breakers who charted their way with little regard for expectations: Amelia Earhart, Helen Gurley Brown, Edie Sedgwick, 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 wit and humor, examining the universal themes that connect us to each of 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.
Karen Karbo is the author of multiple award-winning novels, memoirs, and works of nonfiction. Her “Kick-Ass Women” series includes Julia Child Rules, How Georgia Became O’Keeffe, and the international bestseller The Gospel According to Coco Chanel. Her work has appeared in Elle, Vogue, Esquire, Outside, the New York Times, Condé Nast Traveler, Salon, Slate, and other magazines. She is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in fiction and an Oregon Book Award for creative nonfiction, and won the General Electric Younger Writers award. She lives in Portland, Oregon, where she continues to kick ass.
Bernadette Dunne is the winner of more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway.
Reviews
“Absolutely delightful…Absorbing, inspiring, and often surprising portraits that raise important questions about femininity and culture, power, and bravery.”
“You’ll need two copies!”
“Refreshingly frank, Karbo’s book celebrates women who forged provocative identities and found life fulfillment despite the odds they faced. Inspiring reading about women who have shown ‘that it’s all right to occupy our humanity.’”
“Part biography, part inspiration, all parts fascinating…A wise and hilarious reminder of the importance of being a pain in the ass. Keep it by your bedside.”
“In this marvelous book, Karen Karbo illuminates the paths of women who refused to shut up, sit down, hold still, behave, or smile on anyone’s terms but their own.”
“In twenty-nine takes, Karen Karbo catalogs the ways in which a woman rankles: She can be independent, exacting, impatient, persistent, opinionated, angry, ambitious, confident, or just plain visible. You’ll need two copies!”
“Part biography, part inspiration, all parts fascinating, In Praise of Difficult Women is a wise and hilarious reminder of the importance of being a pain in the ass. Keep it by your bedside.”
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