A witty and entertaining jab at what’s in vogue in makeup, clothing, and fashion accessories.
A comedian and actress gives her slant on the world of fashion.
In the introduction, Helbig (Grace’s Guide: The Art of Pretending to Be a Grown-up, 2014) delves into the very real eating disorders and body image problems she’s faced in her life, but the majority of the book is a cheeky look at “one of the most hilarious subject matters in our society: beauty and style.” With an off-the-wall sense of humor, the author gives readers her take on a variety of fashion do’s and don’ts and provides lists of what certain types of clothing, hairstyles, sunglasses, handbags, and other fashion accessories say about a person. For instance, if you’re interested in wearing a pair of jeans on a first date, Helbig provides a variety of descriptions based on the cut of the denim: “Skinny jeans means you’re hip, you’re cool, you’re fashion forward, and you’re full of guacamole and self-doubt….Flared jeans mean…well, I don’t know that anyone who wears flared jeans would actually buy this book….Straight jeans mean you’re gay.” Sometimes the humor jumps the line from funny to borderline ludicrous—e.g., the author’s suggestions of what not to wear on a night out or at work, which include recommendations like pizza and/or cookie dough, car parts, jetpacks, live snakes, meat, and board games. Despite the tongue-in-cheek nature, Helbig manages to slip in some practical thoughts under the “Mom’s words of wisdom” sections, which should satisfy those who purchase the book in hopes of learning something useful about fashion. However, readers are forewarned at the end of the introduction that this book is not an “actual style guide,” a statement that bears repeating. This is a humorous book on a subject many in society take seriously. For those who enjoy Helbig’s sense of comedy, they are in for a great ride.
A witty and entertaining jab at what’s in vogue in makeup, clothing, and fashion accessories.Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2058-9
Page Count: 240
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Dec. 8, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
Doyle offers another lucid, inspiring chronicle of female empowerment and the rewards of self-awareness and renewal.
More life reflections from the bestselling author on themes of societal captivity and the catharsis of personal freedom.
In her third book, Doyle (Love Warrior, 2016, etc.) begins with a life-changing event. “Four years ago,” she writes, “married to the father of my three children, I fell in love with a woman.” That woman, Abby Wambach, would become her wife. Emblematically arranged into three sections—“Caged,” “Keys,” “Freedom”—the narrative offers, among other elements, vignettes about the soulful author’s girlhood, when she was bulimic and felt like a zoo animal, a “caged girl made for wide-open skies.” She followed the path that seemed right and appropriate based on her Catholic upbringing and adolescent conditioning. After a downward spiral into “drinking, drugging, and purging,” Doyle found sobriety and the authentic self she’d been suppressing. Still, there was trouble: Straining an already troubled marriage was her husband’s infidelity, which eventually led to life-altering choices and the discovery of a love she’d never experienced before. Throughout the book, Doyle remains open and candid, whether she’s admitting to rigging a high school homecoming court election or denouncing the doting perfectionism of “cream cheese parenting,” which is about “giving your children the best of everything.” The author’s fears and concerns are often mirrored by real-world issues: gender roles and bias, white privilege, racism, and religion-fueled homophobia and hypocrisy. Some stories merely skim the surface of larger issues, but Doyle revisits them in later sections and digs deeper, using friends and familial references to personify their impact on her life, both past and present. Shorter pieces, some only a page in length, manage to effectively translate an emotional gut punch, as when Doyle’s therapist called her blooming extramarital lesbian love a “dangerous distraction.” Ultimately, the narrative is an in-depth look at a courageous woman eager to share the wealth of her experiences by embracing vulnerability and reclaiming her inner strength and resiliency.
Doyle offers another lucid, inspiring chronicle of female empowerment and the rewards of self-awareness and renewal.Pub Date: March 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0125-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
PROFILES
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
One of the NBA’s 50 greatest players scores another basket—a deeply personal one.
A basketball legend reflects on his life in the game and a life lived in the “nightmare of endlessly repetitive and constant pain, agony, and guilt.”
Walton (Nothing but Net, 1994, etc.) begins this memoir on the floor—literally: “I have been living on the floor for most of the last two and a half years, unable to move.” In 2008, he suffered a catastrophic spinal collapse. “My spine will no longer hold me,” he writes. Thirty-seven orthopedic injuries, stemming from the fact that he had malformed feet, led to an endless string of stress fractures. As he notes, Walton is “the most injured athlete in the history of sports.” Over the years, he had ground his lower extremities “down to dust.” Walton’s memoir is two interwoven stories. The first is about his lifelong love of basketball, the second, his lifelong battle with injuries and pain. He had his first operation when he was 14, for a knee hurt in a basketball game. As he chronicles his distinguished career in the game, from high school to college to the NBA, he punctuates that story with a parallel one that chronicles at each juncture the injuries he suffered and overcame until he could no longer play, eventually turning to a successful broadcasting career (which helped his stuttering problem). Thanks to successful experimental spinal fusion surgery, he’s now pain-free. And then there’s the music he loves, especially the Grateful Dead’s; it accompanies both stories like a soundtrack playing off in the distance. Walton tends to get long-winded at times, but that won’t be news to anyone who watches his broadcasts, and those who have been afflicted with lifelong injuries will find the book uplifting and inspirational. Basketball fans will relish Walton’s acumen and insights into the game as well as his stories about players, coaches (especially John Wooden), and games, all told in Walton’s fervent, witty style.
One of the NBA’s 50 greatest players scores another basket—a deeply personal one.Pub Date: March 8, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4767-1686-2
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 18, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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