She Wants It

Desire, Power, and Toppling the Patriarchy

By: Jill Soloway

Narrated by: Jill Soloway

Length: 6 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times Editors' Choice

In this poignant memoir of personal transformation, Jill Soloway takes us on a patriarchy-toppling emotional and professional journey. When Jill’s parent came out as transgender, Jill pushed through the male-dominated landscape of Hollywood to create the groundbreaking and award-winning Amazon TV series Transparent. Exploring identity, love, sexuality, and the blurring of boundaries through the dynamics of a complicated and profoundly resonant American family, Transparent gave birth to a new cultural consciousness. While working on the show and exploding mainstream ideas about gender, Jill began to erase the lines on their own map, finding their voice as a director, show creator, and activist.

She Wants It: Desire, Power, and Toppling the Patriarchy moves with urgent rhythms, wild candor, and razor-edged humor to chart Jill’s evolution from straight, married mother of two to identifying as queer and nonbinary. This intense and revelatory metamorphosis challenges the status quo and reflects the shifting power dynamics that continue to shape our collective worldview. With unbridled insight that offers a rare front seat to the inner workings of the #metoo movement and its aftermath, Jill captures the zeitgeist of a generation with thoughtful and revolutionary ideas about gender, inclusion, desire, and consent.

©2018 Jill Soloway (P)2018 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A funny and brutally honest book about what it means to be a woman and what it takes to be a creator, She Wants It is deeply personal but always universal in its unapologetic recounting of a life lived and raw talent shared.” (Amy Poehler)

“Fearlessly revealing, deeply felt, rigorous and compassionate, She Wants It offers an intimate portrait of Jill Soloway’s remarkable life and, simultaneously, a portrait of the larger human struggle to create, from a revolutionary TV show to a revolution in the culture itself. It’s a rare and, yes, an important book.” (Michael Cunningham)

"A funny and wise new memoir…that speaks so urgently to our cultural movement…It’s Soloway’s deeply considered and honestly depicted quest for an authentic self that gives this memoir its depth.” (New York Times Book Review)

Excellent!

Hearing about Jill’s personal transformation was powerful and completely relatable. Thank you for this lovely book. Down with the patriarchy!

My mind is blown.

I thought this was going to be a dishy “behind the scenes” of Transparent etc. ( and it is) but I didn’t not expect it to crack open my thinking about gender and privilege. It did.

LOVE

Absolutely loved this ... a rollercoaster ride of real life and a journey of self exploration.

Always an fascinating journey

Have loved Soloway’s voice over the years in writings, and film. May the destination be far off in the distance so we can continue the ride.

Exceptionally honest

The story is an authentic her story of which we will hear more and more. It is an education of working a through a journey from the inside out. So desperately honest you want to listen all at once to digest it all and not lose the rythem. I appreciate the insight the most so I may be a better and compassionate human with those in my aura that are nonbinary, trans, queer or still searching. As well as a wonderful battle cry for feminism.

Loving Jill's Work

I loved transparent and I love dick and got pretty obsessed with Soloway's work so when their book came out I downloaded it right away. It does not disappoint and covers all of the questions I had bouncing in my mind about their personal life and work and that crossover. I am a very queer person and Jill opened my mind to trans people in ways that I haven't thought of before which was surprising. I'm grateful for the work Jill is doing and to have this book to give a look into this creation.

Amazingly Relatable

Such an introspective perspective into the human experience! I love that the book is narrated by the Author, it makes for an extra special experience.

Candid, insightful, entertaining

I absolutely loved this book. The author was honest about very complicated issues and showed their humanity and vulnerability in valuable ways. I’m also glad the author read the book because the inflection mattered.

Wonderful

Real, raw, neon lights shimmering in puddles, every chapter another step forward,towards a beautiful ,living life.

Wow!

This was recommended to me by a librarian and I am stunned by Soloway’s direct, honest and sometimes hysterical recounting of her journey from a “good, little heteronormative girl to her (r)evolution personally as a binary person, prompted by the unnerving coming out by her father as trans, the creative process to develop the groundbreaking series, “Transparent”, and the ultimate loss of trust to the patriarchal transgressions of its main character. MeToo, Times Up and defining and living intersectionality all woven into this life story. Timely, moving and actionable. Thank you Jamie.