Shaken, Not Stirred (Kindle Single) [Kindle Edition]

Tim Gunn (Author)

Book Description

Tim Gunn - mentor to contestents on Project Runway, and author of A Guide to Quality, Taste, and Style and New York Times Bestseller Gunn's Golden Rules - recounts his tumultuous relationship with his father in this personal essay. Gunn's father, Bill, was a special agent who served as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover's ghostwriter and lived his life according to a set of unbending routines. When Bill Gunn was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, his rigid habits seemingly preserved his sanity while alienating Tim and the rest of his family. Shaken, Not Stirred offers an intimate and heartfelt look into the life of one of fashion's most beloved icons.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Tim Gunn is the epitome of charm, style, and polish. He's well-mannered, well spoken, and--of course--well dressed. But if you've ever wondered who the man is behind the countless suits, the fashion advice, and the star-studded events, then Shaken, Not Stirred is a good place to start. In this Kindle Single, Gunn sheds light on a more personal side of his life, revisiting his childhood and recounting what it was like to grow up with an obsessive-compulsive father. Not wanting to follow in his father's footsteps (though he has his father to thank for his penchant for suits), Gunn struggled to overcome his own OCD tendencies and demons, including a failed suicide attempt. It becomes clear that his rise to the top was not an easy one, making the man he grew up to be even more impressive. --Shirley Hong

Product Details

• File Size: 113 KB
• Print Length: 15 pages
• Publisher: Tim Gunn (May 21, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004UN4L9E
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,129 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #28 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Parenting & Relationships > Aging Parents > Aging
  • #38 in Kindle Store > Kindle Singles > Memoirs
  • #79 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Aging

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A look at the beginnings of a man of style and class May 21, 2011

By Susanna Hutcheson TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

The author writes about his dad, who was a typical man of the fifties. It reminded me a good deal of my own father. "Every one of Dad's colleagues would eventually commit suicide, most by gunshot to the head, and every woman in their circle except for my mother would become a dysfunctional alcoholic. But in the fifties, they were all riding high," he writes. His father was an agent for the FBI.

His dad became J. Edgar Hoover's ghostwriter and "was responsible for Hoover's speeches, correspondence, articles, and books." I found this to be a well-written, fast-paced single.It's easy to see where the author got his sense of style. This is a personal look into his life. As a child of the fifties, he offers a unique perspective on a very special time in America and at a most unusual and, yet, quite typical family of the fifties.

This is a brief bio of a very interesting man and well worth the read.

Recommended.

-- Susanna K. Hutcheson

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tim Gunn we love May 22, 2011

By Elisa Rodgers

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Tim Gunn shares with us another of his wonderful stories of life. Not fantastical tales, not lectures, not lessons about how to live life as defined others. He has a wonderful talent for finding humor and richness in the reality of things simply as they are, and the truth that we are not limited by those things but can find strength and limitless options in them instead. One of the most lovely things about him is that he urges us all to accept ourselves - warts and all - and celebrate our differences as we live our lives together.
In sharing the life of rituals and worries he observed in his father, he is honest and open about how these things influenced his development and even his mental health as he became an adult. He's brave enough to admit his concerns that the OCD and Alzheimer's Disease his father was so restricted and imprisoned by looms large in his conscience as he ages. In the end, he is realistic and genuine in his admission that letting go - even in the most ironic of circumstances - is a victory. He is - as always - the marvelous Tim Gunn we have come to know and love.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bavo For Tim Gunn!! A Great Short Read That Leaves You Aching For More!! May 24, 2011

By Anne C. Hodges

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I, naturally, have seen Tim Gunn on both "Project Runway" and numerous talk shows from time to time, but have never known much about "the man," only his work. This beautifully written short story left me aching for more and more from Mr. Gunn!! I beg you, Mr. Gunn, please give us a full length book just about your life!! Gunn's writing style and honesty are addictive and this story is, all at once, touching, upsetting, heartfelt, and uplifting. "Shaken Not Stirred" left me crying out for more and I was so disappointed when Gunn's small peek at his life's story ended. This is a MUST READ if there ever was one!! Well worth $1.99--about the price of a bottle of soda and much longer lasting!! A superb read!!

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