Book Review for Ladyparts

Full feature for this title will be posted at: @cattleboobooks on Instagram!

I thoroughly enjoyed this memoir/essay compilation of women's health throughout the years. Funny and poignant!

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy.

I was unfamiliar with the author, but after reading Ladyparts I want to go back and read her previous work of Shutterbabe. I also watched Emily in Paris and Younger, I did not realize she was also associated with these shows. Though the more I know now, I am angry for her and how she was mistreated with regards to Emily in Paris. This author has been through so much, I could not believe all that has happened to her. Being a divorced single mother, constantly struggling to earn a decent wage to provide her children with a safe apartment, who would have thought that could be so hard. Deborah is a strong woman, constantly hustling.

An honest raw real memoir the author holds nothing back.From her marriage to a difficult man who shows little emotion and she finally realizes he is on the spectrum & finally after much difficulty gets divorced.On the happy side of her life she shares with us her group of dazzling fiends from the Nora Ephron who was a mentor a BFF till the day she passed away to name dropping worthy friends like ayelet yes the one,She shares the hardships of finding work being a single mom & yes dating.I devoured this book and will be gifting girlfriends with it a fantastic read.#netgalley#randomhouse

Deborah Copaken wrote her first searing memoir about her years as a war photographer in Europe and the Middle East. I always wonder what becomes of an author after a spectacular period of their life, and the conclusion of their telling of their story.

In her sophomore memoir, we find out. And, man, do we find out! In the years following her meeting the man who would become her husband and the father to her children while she was overseas, she began the process of separating from him. And, in the process of becoming the sole breadwinner for her family (as he moved across the country to begin a new business), she encountered the sexism, poverty, loneliness, and lack that follows women in the US when we no longer depend on a man and have needed to be independent.

Most of all, this tome is an advocate for Medicare For ALL persons, including dental, hearing, and vision aids. Ms. Copaken has many physical issues, many physiological but some also as a result of enormous stress. She is unable to obtain adequate medical care, both because of her dire financial situation but also because of being female in a male-dominated profession.

Additionally, her search for paying work is futile and she becomes a victim of sexual harassment and abuse several times over. Her finanacial situation, along with her health, suffers enormously.

It is a relief when she encounters respite from the enormous stress of legal issues, health issues, work and financial issues. She meets wonderful friends and attentive lovers who help her emotionally and financially.

Overall, this is a searing portrait of being an independent, free-lance writer and single mom in the US today. Highly recommended.

This memoir gave me all. The. Feels. So beautifully written with great care and self empathy but without ego.