Kiss My Tiara: How to Rule the World as a SmartMouth Goddess [Paperback]

Susan Jane Gilman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 2001

Irreverent, provocative, hip - this guide to power and attitude offers women an intelligent alternative to the negative messages we hear every day from magazines, TV and relatives. Gilman serves up advice on everything from sex to politics.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Susan Jane Gilman is the author of Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress and Kiss My Tiara. She has written commentary for The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, and Ms. magazine, among others, and her fiction and essays have received several literary awards. Though she has lived most recently in Geneva, Switzerland, and Washington, D.C., she remains, eternally, a child of New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446675776
• ISBN-13: 978-0446675772
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (152 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #524,397 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Susan Jane Gilman is the author of "Hypocrite in a Pouffy White Dress" and "Kiss My Tiara." She lives in Washington, DC with her husband but is on a two-year stint in Geneva, Switzerland.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious Weekend Read, April 9, 2001

By 

FreefFreefieFreefinatorFreeforAllFreeferoni "... (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kiss My Tiara: How to Rule the World as a SmartMouth Goddess (Paperback)

Hilarious! Gilman is absolutely hilarious. If you're oft-bored with "How to be..." books for women, admittedly have a little sass in you, don't like your humor veiled, and need some weekend reading, you'll likely enjoy this gem.

Her crazy analogies and metaphors absolutely hit the nail on the head. While she grazes the same themes as other known-feminist writers, her witty spin makes those same themes not seem so musty, thus appealing to a younger generation and reaffirming in new ways for older generations. The one that caught me thinking was the author's assessment of men and women at an athletic club; Gilman gives new life to the thought of how men and women view and are viewed differently in terms of their bodies. Pointing out that men lift FREEweights while women climb the stairMASTER made me howl and even got a chuckle from my boyfriend.

While careful not to stereotype, Gilman has us all pegged and gives us all a wake-up call. There truly is a lesson to be learned in this book for every woman - even those of us who thought we were goddesses before buying our copy.

Gilman's humor doesn't overshadow the serious context of this book, but it does allow us all to laugh at ourselves a little when we recognize ourselves in her writing. A highly recommended read for any woman bought a copy of "The Rules..." just to burn it and who doesn't mind laughing a little at themselves.

...and the woman's Grandmother was a JEWEL! :-)

97 of 115 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Susan Jane Gilman is my hero, September 19, 2001

By 

Cléa Major - See all my reviews

This review is from: Kiss My Tiara: How to Rule the World as a SmartMouth Goddess (Paperback)

I know, I know, this book is supposedly for 'older' women. But I am only fourteen, and I loved it. I think this is exactly the kind of stuff young girls need to read. It's hilarious, it is smart, it is serious and it is silly. It's alarming and yet comforting. It makes me want to go out and change the world. She's obviously educated, and unafraid to shock people. I was surprised and delighted with the way she unabashedly bombs republicans and conservatives-I am a stalwart liberal, and many authors today are afraid to say too much bashing the opposite party. Another pleasant surprise was her frank language-too many authors-particularly those writing for teens-don't swear at all in their books. Now, this may be a personal preference for some authors, but it is just plain unrealistic to write a contemporary book and not swear or use profanity at all. Not to mention that it weakens the book if you're saying 'heck', and 'shoot', and 'darn it' all the time. Ms. Gilman is not afraid to say any bad language, and that, in my opinion, makes her writing much stronger and sassier.

The only problem I had with her logic was the disses on 'old-fashioned' feminism. I am a feminist, and that doesn't mean I'm whiny, or unfeminine, or man-hating, or too 'nice', or any of the labels that the media has put on feminism. I think Susan Jane Gilman was too hard on 'old fashioned' feminism, but that's about it. Everything else she said I agree with completely. Personally, I think this should be required reading for high school girls!

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Take No Prisoners Princess, May 8, 2001

By 

Suzanne Jacobs "chanale" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Kiss My Tiara: How to Rule the World as a SmartMouth Goddess (Paperback)

The first thing that caught my attention was the pair of bright pink floating lips grazing the cover speaking "Kiss My Tiara." I've always embraced and flaunted my Princess side, so naturally this book was speaking to me. I picked it up, stared leafing through it, and read the introduction.

My first concern was that it looked like a witty and entertaining book, but that it would be about capturing a man, leaving out her lesbian and bisexual sisters. I was pleasantly surprised to find in the introduction that she had interviewed women from all walks of life, and when I bought it and later read it, I wasn't disappointed. Gilman is very inclusive and this book applies to all sexual orientations as well as crossing ethnic and religious lines.

There has been criticism lobbed at this book for promoting a liberal agenda. Yes, Gilman is very progressive, but she makes no bones about it from the beginning. If you're very conservative or very politically correct, I cannot recommend this book to you. Gilman doesn't tiptoe trying to appease all people. She winds up the intro by saying about the fresh-mouthed women she interviewed, "if that makes this book in any way homogenous and elitist, so be it. As my grandma used to say, 'F*** 'em if they can't take a joke!'"

Nuggets of wisdom from Gilman's grandmother pop up frequently throughout the book, and the humor is highly New York Jewish. Gilman touches on topics of beauty (expanding narrow, unrealistic definitions), sex, family, politics, gay rights, money and careers, religion, and whether it's kosher to wear blue nail polish when hitting up a big wig for a pile of shekels.

"Kiss My Tiara" is a fast-paced and humorous read that kept me laughing out loud even as Gilman hit on more serious topics in the spirit of Sholom Aleichem. The famed New York Yiddish writer once said of the Jewish humor, "This is an ugly and mean world, and only to spite it we mustn't weep. If you want to know, this is the consta!nt source of my good spirit, of my humor. Not to cry, out of spite, only to laugh out of spite, only to laugh." Gilman's SmartMouth Goddess Bubbe (grandmother) would be proud.