Woman

Phoebe Robinson’s hilarious new sophomore book is stand-up comedy at its best. Robinson’s self-narration is an outstanding element of the story; she brings such energy to the words. Filled with pop culture references, acronyms, and hashtags, Robinson’s fast-paced essays on American society is an antidote to modern woes; especially for a generation that is struggling with extreme disappointments and alarming changes at anever-increasingg rate.

As a food lover, beauty-product addict, exercise junkie, and wellness entrepreneur, Hannah Bronfman practically radiates confidence and health. But she’ll be the first one to admit the road to wellness and self-acceptance hasn’t been easy. As a woman of color who grew up watching a close family member struggle with an eating disorder, Hannah’s had to forge her path and create her standards of beauty. What she’s learned is this: Healthy is beautiful. And healthy should feel good. 

This is essentially a self-help book by wayof aa memoir. There’s a lot of good stuff in here. It’s always helpful to have a reminder to stop the negative thoughts about yourself—like that you’re a failure because you don’t have a boyfriend/the job you want/you aren’t working out or eating well enough and so on. For some of us, giving ourselves pep talks is not our natural state, but Tara reminds us: If your friend were in a similar situation, would you talk to her that way?

The author sums up my feelings brilliantly near the very end of the book. I, too, smile a lot, and I have those little crinkle lines by my eyes and around my mouth. And yes, most of the time, I'm a happy person, and I show it. But like her, "Sometimes I feel lonely. Sometimes I feel like a fraud. Sometimes I feel like a failure. Sometimes I feel unaccomplished. But in reality, I am none of those things." She is average. And average is awesome - something I need to remember.