Unabashed: A Review of Lena Dunham's Not That Kind of Girl

Lena Dunham’s “Not That Kind of Girl: A young woman tells you what she’s “learned”” is a #1 New York Times bestseller and collection of essays and short stories. This novel consists of personal anecdotes and lists bound together by her witty and raw writing style. As a writer, producer and actress, Dunham has a unique perspective on Hollywood and uses her observant disposition to draw many conclusions about relationships, work and herself. This coming-of-age novel is truly an unbridled overview of her experience as a woman. Her wild and sometimes crass approach to her life experiences are what make this novel truly original. After finishing the book, filtering through many book reviews, blog posts and articles, and listening to word-of-mouth, I came to the following three conclusions.

1. This is a self-exposing memoir, and with that comes a lot of tenacity. Dunham confidently and unabashedly recounts many explicit and at time cringe-worthy personal moments of her life, and with that comes a lot of discrepancy. Whether you agree with her perspective or not is up to you, but I believe her audacity is something of awe for there are few novels that dare to delve into some of the subjects she boldly depicts. Take each chapter with a grain of salt. Maybe her 10-page chapter consisting purely of her food diary isn't for you, but maybe her essay on death is.
   
2. Dunham’s recounts are just that. Her recounts and experiences. It is not an everyman perspective on life. This novel is one woman’s perspective. She does not serve as an overall representative of females, New Yorkers, writers, producers or girlfriends.
   
3. This novel is subversive literature. It goes against most typical writing styles and steers away from anything ‘normal’ or ‘basic’, therefore the reader must approach this novel as such.
   Unfortunately as a seventeen year old teenager, I only have so much life experience, perspective and exposure. To read other perspectives, read the book and form an opinion for yourself please follow the following links:

Reviews/Blogs:
• http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/sep/30/not-that-kind-of-girl-lena-dunham-review-
memoir

• http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/12/books/review/lena-dunham-memoir-not-that-kind-of-girl-
  review.html
  
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/review-not-that-kind-of-girl-by-lena-
  dunham/2014/09/24/4e482c04-42c0-11e4-b437-1a7368204804_story.html
  Purchase the book:
  • http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/not-that-kind-of-girl-lena-dunham/1118048829?
  ean=9780812985177 
  
  
  
  
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  By Sarah Wozniak