Blog Tour: It's Messy: Essays on Boys, Boobs and Badass Women by Amanda de Candent

Author:Amanda de Candent

Publisher: Harper Wave

Date of publication: September 19, 2017

In this deeply personal collection of essays, creator of the The Conversation Amanda de Cadenet shares the hard-won advice and practical insights she’s gained through her experiences as businesswoman, friend, wife, and mother.

Amanda is on a mission to facilitate conversations that allow all women to be seen, heard, and understood. Through her multimedia platform The Conversation, she interviews some of today’s most bad ass women—from Hillary Clinton to Lady Gaga—in no-holds-barred conversations that get to the heart of what means to be female. Now, in It’s Messy, Amanda offers readers an extension of that conversation, inviting them into her life and sharing her own story.

From childhood fame to a high-profile marriage (and divorce) to teen motherhood to the sexism that threatened to end her career before it started, Amanda shares the good, the bad, and the messy of her life, synthesizing lessons she’s learned along the way. Through it all, she offers an original perspective as a feminist on the front lines of celebrity culture. Edgy, irreverent, poignant and provocative, It’s Messy addresses the issues, concerns, and experiences relevant to women today.

Anyone who knows me well would probably wonder why I would read a book like this.  I definitely don't fall under the current definition of feminist.  However, I do believe in having an open mind, free speech and keeping the lines of good debate open at all times.  I think that is what drew me to give It's Messy: Essays on Boys, Boobs, and Badass Women a try.  The book is a collection of essays written by the author on varying subjects and how they pertain to women.  

In the foreword, she states that this book really isn't one to be read in sequence. She hopes that it is one the the reader will skip around and read the chapters that may pertain to what is impacting their life right now.  I did skip around and read most of the essays.  The two that I was most interested in reading were "Porn Culture and it's Effect on my Vagina" and "How to Parent in the Time of Trump" 

I found myself agreeing wholeheartedly with one and not finding a lot to agree with in the other.  But, that is what makes this book special.  There is something in it for every woman.  You may not agree with it all, but keeping an open mind allows you to see another side.  It's worth giving it a try, so why not pick it up when it comes out next month.

Purchase Links

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

About Amanda de Cadenet

Amanda de Cadenet is a creative force with a lifelong career in the media. She began as a host on British television at the age of fifteen and became a sought-after photographer shortly after—as a result her impressive photography career already spans nearly twenty years. She is the youngest woman ever to shoot a Vogue cover and has photographed many of the most influential figures in popular and political culture. As a media entrepreneur, Amanda is the creator of The Conversation, a series that showcases her in-depth interviews on real topics with celebrated women. Whether it’s in conversations with Lady Gaga, Sarah Silverman, Zoe Saldana, Chelsea Handler, or Gwyneth Paltrow, or in discussions with devoted followers of her social channels, Amanda delivers an honest and authentic voice. The series has aired in eighteen countries and is featured online, with over ten million viewers. In January 2016, Amanda conducted an exclusive one-on-one interview with presidential candidate Secretary Clinton. In February 2016, Amanda launched #Girlgaze, a digital media company utilizing user submitted content and highlighting the work of women Gen Z photographers and directors.

Find out more about Amanda at her website, and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Tour Stops

Tuesday, August 22nd: A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, August 23rd: Lit and Life

Thursday, August 24th: A Bookish Way of Life

Monday, August 28th: From the TBR Pile

Tuesday, August 29th: Bibliotica

Wednesday, August 30th: Comfy Reading

Thursday, August 31st: Book Hooked Blog

Friday, September 1st: The Geeky Bibliophile

Tuesday, September 5th: A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, September 6th: Wining Wife

Thursday, September 7th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Friday, September 8th: Thoughts On This ‘n That

Monday, September 11th: Literary Quicksand

TBD: Books & Tea

Throwback Thursday: I Feel Bad about My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman by Nora Ephron

Author: Nora Ephron
First published in 2006 by 

The woman who brought us "When Harry Met Sally . . ., Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, "and" Bewitched, " and the author of best sellers "Heartburn, Scribble Scribble, " and "Crazy Salad, " discusses everything--from how much she hates her purse to how much time she spends attempting to stop the clock: the hair dye, the treadmill, the lotions and creams that promise to slow the aging process but never do. Oh, and she can't stand the way her neck looks. But her dermatologist tells her there's no quick fix for that. 
Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller, and hapless parent. She recounts her anything-but-glamorous days as a White House intern during the JFK years ("I am probably the only young woman who ever worked in the Kennedy White House that the President did not make a pass at") and shares how she fell in and out of love with Bill Clinton--from a distance, of course. But mostly she speaks frankly and uproariously about life as a woman of a certain age. 


I'm sorry to say that I didn't finish listening to this audiobook.  I know that Nora Ephron is loved by many people. When she passed away in 2012, the literary world felt the loss greatly.  She gave us wonderful movies and I'm sure other great books, but I just wasn't feeling it with this one. I was looking forward to reading I Feel Bad about My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman.  I was hoping for funny commentary on what is was like to get older; but I felt like all I was getting was either a lecture of complaining.  

This is the first set of essays I have read by Ms. Ephron, but I find I prefer Erma Bombeck's offerings a lot more.  I really didn't find much amusing in the essays that I did listen to.  Not even the essay on "Parenting" was enough to make me want to keep listening.  It wasn't funny. Instead I felt like the parents of today were being chided for taking active interests in their kids activities and lives.  I think I will stick with watching Ms. Ephron's movies.