Ladyparts

A Memoir

By: Deborah Copaken

Narrated by: Deborah Copaken

A frank, witty, and dazzlingly written memoir of one woman trying to keep it together while her body falls apart—from the “brilliant mind” (Michaela Coel, creator of I May Destroy You) behind Shutterbabe

“The most laugh-out-loud story of resilience you’ll ever read and an essential road map for the importance of narrative as a tool of healing.”—Lori Gottlieb, bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE

I’m crawling around on the bathroom floor, picking up pieces of myself. These pieces are not a metaphor. They are actual pieces.

Twenty years after her iconic memoir Shutterbabe, Deborah Copaken is at her darkly comedic nadir: battered, broke, divorcing, dissected, and dying—literally—on sexism’s battlefield as she scoops up what she believes to be her internal organs into a glass container before heading off to the hospital . . . in an UberPool.

Ladyparts is Copaken’s irreverent inventory of both the female body and the body politic of womanhood in America, the story of one woman brought to her knees by the one-two-twelve punch of divorce, solo motherhood, healthcare Frogger, unaffordable childcare, shady landlords, her father’s death, college tuitions, sexual harassment, corporate indifference, ageism, sexism, and plain old bad luck. Plus seven serious illnesses, one atop the other, which provide the book’s narrative skeleton: vagina, uterus, breast, heart, cervix, brain, and lungs. Copaken bounces back from each bum body part, finds workarounds for every setback—she transforms her home into a commune to pay rent, sells her soul for health insurance, turns FBI informant when her sexual harasser gets a presidential appointment—but in her slippery struggle to survive a steep plunge off the middle-class ladder, she is suddenly awoken to what it means to have no safety net.

Side-splittingly funny one minute, a freak horror show the next, quintessentially American throughout, Ladyparts is an era-defining memoir.

An important, “must read” that’s manages to be funny and relatable

I don’t think it’s possible to succinctly explain how much, and why, I loved this book. Copaken manages to draw a line connecting U.S. deficits in understanding mental health, women’s bodies, healthcare, child care, workplace ethics (including sex/gender/ and economic status discrimination), work-life balance and more. She does all of this with empathy, compassion, brutal self-deprecating honesty, humor and intelligence. She says all of the ugly uncomfortable things most of us are too afraid to say. Her raw humanity is remarkable. I rarely do this but I may actually read this book again.

Didn’t want it to end. Going to go try to find the original ending on the authors blog page now!

As always Deborah’s writing is beautiful and easy to hear while being honest and humourous at times. I loved it. I read Shutterbabe in my 20s and it changed me and now listened to Ladyparts in my 50s. Highly recommend both!

Her depth of honesty was brillant

I fortunately listened to this book instead of reading it (though I am certain I would have loved it too in its written form). But to hear Deborah tell her own story was amazing. I could hear her angst, her bewilderment, her rage, her love personified with every word. If it was a work of fiction I might be in disbelief that any human could have the health issues she has had and survived, much less the financial struggles that she has overcome. I thought of the Biblical Job whose faith is tested with challenges. What Deborah overcame is breathtaking in its scope and intensity. After finishing this book, I have gotten the courage to be even more honest in my emails to my friends and family about my own journey with Stage IV cancer. Deborah has inspired me. I thank her for that. You go girl!!

Excellent story and excellent delivery!

Deborah is a born storyteller and I thoroughly enjoyed her sharing her skills and story in this book -- it was like sitting down with a very good friend and hearing what has been going on in their crazy, hectic life. I related to so much of what she has gone through as a woman, I was shouting along with her as she described her experiences and emotions, especially the frustration with "modern" healthcare and the health insurance dance. It was an extra special treat to hear her talk about meeting Nora Ephron, one of my all-time favorites, and what it was like to be close friends with her. I was sad when I reached the end, and look forward to any future work she releases.

Whoa!

The author really bared it all. A raw and well-written portrayal of a woman just trying to achieve that promise of the American dream by following all the rules. Not pie in the sky dreams, but basic health and financial stability for her family. The audiobook was well done and easy to listen to. I gasped multiple times, while hearing the trials and tribulations that she reveals.