Hillary's Review of #GIRLBOSS

by Sophia Amoruso

In the New York Times bestseller that the Washington Post called “Lean In for misfits,” Sophia Amoruso shares how she went from dumpster diving to founding one of the fastest-growing retailers in the world.

Amoruso spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and scrounging in dumpsters for leftover bagels. By age twenty-two she had dropped out of school, and was broke, directionless, and checking IDs in the lobby of an art school—a job she’d taken for the health insurance. It was in that lobby that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay.

Flash forward to today, and she’s the founder of Nasty Gal and the founder and CEO of Girlboss. Sophia was never a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for other girls like her: outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is windy as all hell and lined with naysayers.

#GIRLBOSS proves that being successful isn’t about where you went to college or how popular you were in high school. It’s about trusting your instincts and following your gut; knowing which rules to follow and which to break; when to button up and when to let your freak flag fly.

“A witty and cleverly told account . . . It’s this kind of honest advice, plus the humorous ups and downs of her rise in online retail, that make the book so appealing.” —Los Angeles Times

“Amoruso teaches the innovative and entrepreneurial among us to play to our strengths, learn from our mistakes, and know when to break a few of the traditional rules.” —Vanity Fair

“#GIRLBOSS is more than a book . . . #GIRLBOSS is a movement.” —Lena Dunham

I remember when Nasty Gal was still on eBay and I was still skinny. I have always loved vintage so I LOVED Nasty Gal and still do to this day although I am really fat and can't fit into their clothes (I am working on that). So when I heard that Nasty Gal had a book out I just had to read it. so I downloaded it onto my nook and read.

It is a mix of memoir and business tips. I loved the memoir part. She explains how she was homeless and then how she started her business. I loved reading how she survived when she was homeless and the honesty of the mistakes she made before she made it big. So often we claim that a college education is needed to make it but this is not always the case.

I also loved how she told how she got the clothes and made them into something beautiful. I have tried thrifting myself but what my friends can see to make something all I see is a piece of crap. I have one friend who I LOVE her clothes and apartment and everything. She get everything at thrift stores and makes it her own. I have taken to tagging along with her and she has taught me a LOT about how to find what looks like a piece of crap but in reality you can do a few things and it is a beautiful vintage piece. I am getting better at this and it is something that I hope to improve on in the coming year.

There was not a lot of fashion advice in this book. I was somewhat sad about this but then I realized that it is a book that is meant to be a memoir and a business book. It had the same business ideas as a lot of other books out there but I really enjoyed reading it in her tone of voice. She also gave great ideas for interviews, such as how to dress and interact with the interviewer and so forth.

This review was originally posted on Adventures in Never Never Land

#GIRLBOSS

by Sophia Amoruso

Reviewed by Hillary on Dec 4, 2014

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