#GIRLBOSS

By: Sophia Amoruso

Narrated by: Sara Jes Austell

Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

The first thing Sophia Amoruso sold online wasn’t fashion - it was a stolen book. She spent her teens hitchhiking, committing petty theft, and dumpster diving. By twenty-two, she had resigned herself to employment, but was still broke, directionless, and working a mediocre day job she’d taken for the health insurance.

It was there that Sophia decided to start selling vintage clothes on eBay. Eight years later, she is the founder, CEO, and creative director of Nasty Gal, a $100 million plus online fashion retailer with more than 350 employees. Sophia’s never been a typical CEO, or a typical anything, and she’s written #GIRLBOSS for outsiders (and insiders) seeking a unique path to success, even when that path is winding as all hell and lined with naysayers.

#GIRLBOSS includes Sophia’s story, yet is infinitely bigger than Sophia. It’s deeply personal yet universal. Filled with brazen wake-up calls (“You are not a special snowflake”), cunning and frank observations (“Failure is your invention”), and behind-the-scenes stories from Nasty Gal’s meteoric rise, #GIRLBOSS covers a lot of ground. It proves that being successful isn’t about how popular you were in high school or where you went to college (if you went to college). Rather, success is about trusting your instincts and following your gut, knowing which rules to follow and which to break.

A #GIRLBOSS takes her life seriously without taking herself too seriously. She takes chances and takes responsibility on her own terms. She knows when to throw punches and when to roll with them. When to button up and when to let her freak flag fly.

As Sophia writes, “I have three pieces of advice I want you to remember: Don’t ever grow up. Don’t become a bore. Don’t let The Man get to you. OK? Cool. Then let’s do this.”

©2014 Sophia Amoruso (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Rather than present a get-rich-quick manual or a list of business tips, Amoruso teaches the innovative and entrepreneurial among us to play to our strengths, learn from our mistakes, and know when to break a few of the traditional rules." (Vanity Fair)

"A witty and cleverly told account ... It’s this kind of honest advice, plus the humorous ups and downs of her rise in online retail, that make the book so appealing." (Los Angeles Times)

"#GIRLBOSS is more than a book ... #GIRLBOSS is a movement." (Lena Dunham)

Awesome for business ladies

If you could sum up #GIRLBOSS in three words, what would they be?

Yay super fun read especially on a flight from LA to NY.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Main character as book is about her duh.

What does Sara Jes Austell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Fun narrator, well if you're a young lady, maybe older men wouldn't like it.

So Interesting

I love Nasty Gal and work in fashion. This was such an interesting read!

Awesome book

I loved #girlboss, it was inspiring, funny, and informational. The narrator was fantastic. This is a book I can listen to (read) again and again. I highly recommend it!

A must read for aspiring entrepreneurs

A book for any young woman who dares to be her own person. This book will offer the artillery needed to stop talking and start doing.!

Taking this advice to the bank

This book made me feel pumped up about being a woman in the work place. While reading it, I noticed I started putting more effort into my work outfits. A woman who dresses well requires creativity and confidence which probably means she's a badass bitch. I gotta let everyone know I'm a badass bitch, so I wore heels and a dress today.

Girlboss goes bankrupt

I was enjoying the book and wanted to see pictures of Nasty Gal Vintage from the eBay days so I went online and saw the company filed for bankruptcy. I read a few articles and Sophia blamed the investors for giving “someone that naive” money and called THEM irresponsible. When the interviewer asked if she considered Nasty Gal a success overall she said “I mean, I sold the company for 20mil in bankruptcy so in the grand scheme of what can happen in your 30s yeah I’m proud of it” wtf kind of #GirlBoss is proud of running a 300mil/year business into the ground?!

Considering I was at the part of the story about the investors, and her going on at length about how awesome they were doing that they attracted so many investors...it just...completely ruined the rest of the book for me. Stay away from this book.

loved it!!!

I enjoyed the narrator also how girl boss goes for any woman. Not just for business lady

Fantastic!

As a business owner preparing to launch I got some great take away pieces of advice. Also think it's a great book for early 20's starting out. It's a success stories with lots of details.


Loved the way it was presented.

SO INSPIRING!

Sophia has a way of saying things every #girlboss needs to hear! Get up & Put in the work it takes to succeed!! Great Read!

Higher Expectations

The most memorable excepts of this book are actually just well-known quotes from thought leaders... and there are many. The little nuggets of content that are unique vaguely illustrate the early years of Sophia's life or read like a hiring guide for Nasty Gal. However, I enjoyed the narration.