Not That Kind of Girl

A Young Woman Tells You What She's Learned

By: Lena Dunham

Narrated by: Lena Dunham

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Lena Dunham, acclaimed writer-director-star of HBO and Sky Atlantic's Girls and the award-winning movie Tiny Furniture, displays her unique powers of observation, wisdom, and humour in this exceptional collection of essays.

"If I could take what I've learned and make one menial job easier for you, or prevent you from having the kind of sex where you feel you must keep your sneakers on in case you want to run away during the act, then every misstep of mine was worthwhile. I'm already predicting my future shame at thinking I had anything to offer you, but also my future glory in having stopped you from trying an expensive juice cleanse or thinking that it was your fault when the person you are dating suddenly backs away, intimidated by the clarity of your personal mission here on Earth. No, I am not a sexpert, a psychologist, or a dietician. I am not a mother of three or the owner of a successful hosiery franchise. But I am a girl with a keen interest in having it all, and what follows are hopeful dispatches from the frontlines of that struggle."

©2014 Lena Dunham (P)2014 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

Advance praise for Not That Kind of Girl:
"It's not Lena Dunham's candour that makes me gasp. Rather, it's her writing - which is full of surprises where you least expect them. This is a fine, subversive book." David Sedaris
"Always funny, sometimes wrenching, these essays are a testament to the creative wonder that is Lena Dunham." Judy Blume
"Dunham's writing is just as smart, honest, sophisticated, dangerous, and charming as her work on ‘Girls'. Its essential quality is a kind of joyful super-awareness: of herself, the world, the human. Reading her makes you glad to be in the world, and glad that she's in it with you." George Saunders
"Very few women have become famous for being who they actually are, nuanced and imperfect. When honesty happens, it's usually couched in self-ridicule or self-help. Dunham doesn't apologise like that - she simply tells her story as if it might be interesting. The result is shocking and radical because it is utterly familiar. Not That Kind of Girl is hilarious, artful, and staggeringly intimate; I read it shivering with recognition." Miranda July

Alternate title: my awkward sexual history

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Nope: I thought this book would explore other themes (career, friendship, family) - in a mindy kaling-bio type way. instead i was disappointed to get one sexual stop after another. Each designed to make my jaw drop a little more than the last. Lena is definitely funny- indisputable, but after an hour or two or three, I am no longer amused.

Loved it!

Great book! Loved that Lena Dunham was reading it herself. Funny/awkward and cringy stories. Amazing! You need to read it!

Listen to this - now

This is an incredible piece of work. I empathize so much with her writing and I’m so glad she shares it with the world.

Indulgent

I'm a fan of Girls so my expectations were high. I just didn't get it. I bought the book on audible and parts were torture. Listening to Lena read through days of dieting food was one of my lowest points. I'm still a fan of Girls but would steer clear of another book - particularly On Audible. Shame as I've always admired her ballsy approach.