Memoirs have quickly become all the rage with celebrities like 30 Rock star Tina Fey, Nasty Gal CEO Sophia Amburos and Girls’ creator Lena Dunham each penning collections of personal stories that highlight their individual journeys to success. If your interest was piqued by Dunham’s “Not That Kind of Girl,” Amburos’ “#GirlBoss” or Fey’s “Bossypants,” then check out this list of the latest literary offerings from celebrated Black women such as Roxane Gay, Issa Rae, Lillie Mae and Valeisha Butterfield.
As the creator of the HBO series Girls, Lena Dunham’s “Not that Kind of Girl” seems to have quite the appropriate title. A combination between a memoir and a sort of a girls’ life manual, Dunham presents a compilation of personal essays based on her experiences in love, life and sex. In that same vein, Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist: Essays,” examines the author’s journey to embracing feminism and defining it on her own terms. The essays also outline Gay’s no-nonsense stance on pop culture, including critiques on everything from Girls to Django Unchained and The Help while also providing very clear examples of rape jokes, sexism, racism and misogyny that run rampant in pop culture.
Tina Fey’s “Bossypants” Meets Issa Rae’s “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl”
In her 2011 best-seller “Bossypants,” Tina Fey penned a series of personal anecdotes that bring the humor out of her awkward personal and professional experiences, including a doomed trip to the gynecologist, an unfortunate honeymoon and a chapter in which the 30 Rock star expertly takes down Internet trolls. If those tales aren’t awkward enough for you, then keep your eyes peeled for Issa Rae’s upcoming “The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl.” Rae’s mastery of self-deprecating humor will probably have us in stitches as her collection of personal essays addresses everything from self-acceptance, natural hair struggles, work issues and relationships.
Motivated by “#GirlBoss”? Then check out “Glambitious.”
In Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amburos’ book “#GirlBoss,” the 28-year-old Greek-American entrepreneur chronicles how she went from hawking a stolen book online to working a dead-end day job, to ultimately becoming the founder, CEO and creative director of a successful online clothing store.
Women who are motivated by Amburos’ ambitious climb to the top of the online fashion retail industry may also be interested in lifestyle publicist Lillie Mae’s “Glambitious: How to Live Vicariously Through Yourself.” The PR maven provides valuable insight into how she made her own boss moves while encouraging others to pave positive paths to the top by embracing individuality and finding their inner “SHERO.”
Enjoy “The Glitter Plan”? Check out “The Girlprint.”
The idea of branding has proven to be a crucial part of the rise to success and the founders of Juicy Couture emphasize that in their book “The Glitter Plan,” which tells the story of how Pamela Skaist-Levy and Gela Nash-Taylor went from selling clothing out of a one-bedroom apartment in Hollywood to building a fashion empire worth $50 million.
If you’re looking for more straight-up advice on how to succeed, minus the glitter, glitz and the glam of the entertainment industry that tends to attract all the focus, check out Valeisha Butterfield’s “The Girlprint.” The founder of the Women in Entertainment Empowerment Network drops gems of expertise from her 18 years in the industry that reveal the skills required to on push through obstacles as an aspiring entertainment professional.
The post Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist Essays,” Issa Rae’s “Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl” & More Must-Read Memoirs appeared first on Clutch Magazine.