Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(90)
4 star:		(23)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

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! :-)

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!

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.

Susan Jane Gilman has her way with us!

With tongue in cheek, she says all the things we say (that's the fairer sex) when we are out with girlfriends drinking margaritas (I date myself, if I were under 35, it would be cosmopolitans!). It is, and I quote, "her intention to offer women inspiration, wit and tools for intelligent resistance"..... to all the wacky things we are supposed to be and think and do because.... we are broads.

She inspires us while giving us inside information to philosophy passed down from her old grandma. Most of the inspiration and grandma's sayings far surpass the advice you will get from the "health and well being" or "feminist" magazines that exist today.

Here are my favorite takeaways from the book, in no particular order:

1.The term "Smartmouth Goddess" (SG) - what we all would like to be. We ARE SG's, deep in our inner thoughts, but our need to "build relationships" keeps us from spewing.

2. Advice on friends: "Friends shouldn't be treated as leftovers".

3. Advice on good habits to adopt from men: "Men do not schlepp."

3. Advice on family: "Regard your family as a source of popular entertainment- distance yourself from their neuroses by pretending they're on television".

Gilman combines her knack for turning a phrase and cynical humor with a little political agenda, sex and Biblical references thrown in for good measure.

Read it when your husband is out of town!

This book is hilarious and absolutely right on the mark. Every girl graduating from highschool should be given a copy! I wish I'd had a copy of this book waaaay back in the day when I first started dating. Her list of the Reasons We Have Sex was especially funny. Knowledge is power and this book is chock-full of wise, witty, street-smart knowledge. I think the reviewers who were offended by some of her language must not have a clue. Or, maybe some of her jabs just landed a little too close for comfort for them.

Just because you know the game, doesn't mean you lack a 'joie de vivre' in playing it! Just the opposite in fact! :-)

By talking about our most secret vulnerabilities in a hip, funny way, this book could help all young women avoid many of the pitfalls and perils along the way to developing into a la mode woman with self-esteem and the ability to laugh at herself.

I'd also recommend this book to older women or any woman who needs to ground herself while going through any kind of change in her life. Heck, anybody buying clothes, getting a haircut, wearing makeup, starting a diet, thinking about getting married or especially considering plastic surgery (ugh!) should also read this book. You'll fall off your chair laughing and might even change your mind about a few things.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish, and found myself nodding along as I read it, laughing out loud at much but also painfully aware of how insightful Gilman is about the ways young women really struggle today. Especially around body image issues, for even the most progressive and feminist among us still seem to shudder when we look in the mirror, or spend an inordinate amount of time trying to diet; exercise for weight loss instead of health; or privately contemplate surgery though we would never admit to our feminist friends that we did it. Despite lots of swear words, this book would be a great help to teenage and college girls as well as women in their 20's-40's. It will really help younger women to understand the social dynamics at play that keep them from being their best as people and as professionals. For me, the most compelling part of her discussions are about body image issues and ways in which she helps us to see how society tries to force us to make choices we shouldn't have to make. But you never feel like you are reading a treatise or diatribe. It's like the "Emperor has no clothes" -- she uses humor to help us see the ridiculousness of many of the things we struggle with. Looking forward to hearing more from this powerful woman writer!

GREAT BOOK!! This is the manifesto for the 21st century woman. Gilman hits the nail on the head about sex, office politics, family, men, other women, and life in general. Weaving sarcasm, sick humor, astute observation and salty descriptives with wise advice, this book makes sense out of things that make us crazy. This is a must-read for young women who just starting out, older women who are burning out, and any woman who just wants to come out (and I mean that in more ways than the obvious).

Her take on the right wing, fundamentalists, big business, the media, and, of course, men is not for the faint at heart. But its great fun for those of us who don't fit in any of those categories. Buy it for your best girlfriend, your daughters, your sisters, your nieces and/or your grandaughters - its a guide for the everyday social jungle we walk through as women who should be treated as goddesses.

Sarah Jane Gilman does have some important points to make. It's a shame she does so in such an obnoxious way. As for the "humor" in this book, it escaped me. A liberal dousing of the "f" and the "p" words doesn't make something funny. BTW, I'm a total leftie single white female who works full time and goes to grad school, so I'm not sniffling because it offended my sensibilities -- more like it made me roll my eyes. I gave up after the chapter featuring 50 ways to say the word "penis" (ha, ha, ha, ha, ha).

This is a book all women should read. I know, it has been said before about many books, but this is a very important book. Susan Jane Gilman has a way of writing that made me laugh out loud. Yet, this is a serious book, too. It is about the rights for women to be exactly what they want to be. It is about how hard it still is to be a woman. However, Susan Jane Gilman does not whine. At all. Instead, she offers support, a good laugh and actually good solutions. This is not a book that makes women victims, rather heroines.

Kiss my tiara actually penetrates our society of today and has a surprisingly interesting, clever and clear view about many issues otherwise described only either in thesises or women's magazines. What is love? How can we be happy? Why are looks so important? This book offers useful ammunition for all women. By following her advice, and applying her ways of thinking, we can all become strong women, goddesses, heroines ...

Susan Jane Gilman uses wit, intelligence and common sense to make us see another picture of our society, and how it could be. It is thought-provoking reading. Also, she shows us how to get the most out of what we already know and can do, by simply adopting these techniques and skills to other areas of life. And no, as she says: "We Don't Shape History by Shaping Our Thighs".

Do not buy this book if you are offended by mild profanity. However, this is a refreshing and humorous book for women who feel like they're repeatedly being told that the only way to achieve happiness is to be successful, look like a top model, and "land" a husband. It made me laugh, it almost made me cry with the familiarity of certain situations, and it made me feel that it was okay to feel confused. It is in no way mean-spirited, and it encourages women to respect themselves as well as men. It helped me lighten up and girls, it tells it like it is.