I have to admit that I didn't finish this whole book but there were positives that I'll share here. First, I love the topic of this book--- very timely. Even if "authentic" is a buzz word right now it's still relevant and important to have a book on this subject. I also love the cover!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. This one took me longer to finish than most nonfiction books, and I'm not exactly sure why. I guess it could have been trimmed down a bit, some sections felt a bit repetitive, but not so much that it made me want to stop reading. This was a great philosophy book for someone like myself who has a casual interest in the topic but not much formal education.

I read this as part of a course in Existentialism. Like many existential philosophers, the book is not an easy read. However, it is insightful and evocative to anyone interested in learning more about a woman's view of existentialism. I believe that de Beauvoir's thoughts and ideas have not been given as much attention and credence because her thinking was undervalued compared to that of Sartre. Worth the read, but it is challenging.

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

This did not disappoint! A very interesting deep dive into philosophy and different types of thinking. Lots of cultural commentary on identity and how people think of authenticity.

How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment
By Skye Cleary

I was not familiar with Simone de Beauvoir's philosophy of existentialism and author Skye Cleary in her vast understanding and quest to find authenticity is indeed the Subject Matter Expert on this particular topic. Clearly a lot of research has been done on this topic and on Beauvoir's philosophy itself. As a woman who has multiple roles in my personal and professional endeavors, I found this topic to be one of importance to me. I want to be as authentic as I can be as a nurse, an educator, a wife, a daughter, a mother, and a friend - among other things. This book is certainly not cliche - it has substance and is well organized.

How To Be Authentic is not a one sitting type of a book, and as a matter of fact, I had to slow down and read this book, some passages multiple times before I allowed myself to move on to the next section. This nonfiction philosophy, biography, self-help book is an absolutely fantastic read. I am probably much closer to self-fulfillment or at least understand the process of discovering my true self a little better because of Cleary's book.

Fantastic!

I've always loved Simone de Beauvoir's writing, but getting the chance to dive deeper into who she was as a person and how that writing came about was such an interesting journey both as a reader and as a writer myself. Skye C. Cleary did a wonderful job of explaining Beauvoir as a writer and as an individual, while still putting their own authorial opinions on the information being presented. I learned so much through reading this book, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's a fan of Beauvoir or even for those who want to be introduced to her work in a more informed light.

This is the type of book I can picture myself opening and flipping to a random page and finding a passage to revisit to see what else I can gleam from the information upon future readings.

Oh my I loved this book!! I really had no idea what to expect when I started it, but man I will definitely be telling others to check it out. It really gave me lots to think about.

I think as an educator who is new to the field and facing loads of imposter syndrome, this is a helpful book. An introduction to Simone de Beauvoir's philosophy with stories of women's successes and failures in being authentic, this book is "self-help" without feeling like it.

I picked this book up on a whim just based on the talk of authenticity. As I started to read it, I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated.

Thank you St. Martins Essentials for the complimentary copy of this novel. How to be Authentic is an accurate analysis of Beauvoir's ideas on feminism with many of the philosophies applicable for today. It is a well-written novel.

This book was a little different from what I thought it'd be, but turned out to be a very interesting read. I am not familiar with Beauvoir and her work, but her philosophy was captivating. I loved how the book was divided, and each topic was discussed comprehensively and meaningfully. This has definitely got me interested in reading Beauvoir's books.

A wonderful, thoughtful introduction to Simone de Beauvoir and her philosophy, viewed through a modern, more intersectional lens. Equal parts validating and thought provoking, a must read!

How To Be Authentic
Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment
Author: Skye C. Cleary
Imprint Publisher: St. Martin’s Essentials
ISBN: 9781250271358
Pages: 352
**This book was kindly provided by the author herself for review.**

In a world mired with constant information, influences, and irrational discourse, Skye Cleary brings Simone de Beauvoir’s existential philosophy for a modern reader to contemplate a path in authenticity. This is clearly my favorite philosophy book of 2022. Taking Beauvoir’s The Second Sex (1949) among other works and distilling it for modern readers in a post-pandemic world where resting sociopolitical problems have become truly visible is a commendable literary act. But do not mistake the book for a self-help manual that dots airport stands. This is a gentle introduction to existential philosophy and particularly Beauvoir’s influence on feminist movements.

At the outset, we are introduced to Beauvoir’s “existence precedes essence” aphorism meaning that we exist first and then cultivate our essence throughout our lives. This is the basic tenet of becoming authentic; we create our essence. And since we are constantly creating our essence, authenticity is not a virtue set in stone. It is freedom with responsibility and a morally attuned inner quest while we coexist with other beings.

Part I of the book delves into the nature of human existence. The difference between “freedom” or movement towards an authentic existence and “facticity” or facts of our lives. As it turns out most of our lives are spent concentrating on our facticity. But progressing towards freedom is to transcend our facticity and choosing what Beauvoir calls “projects”. This is detailed in part III of the book. These projects are activities that reflect our choices in an authentic light as stated above. Part II of the book breaks down ways of thinking about authentic choices with regard to friendship, romantic love, marriage, motherhood, aging, and death. For example, even though Beauvoir and Sartre never married, their relationship evolved because they valued a merger of ideas and a oneness that defined their authentic relationship. This arrangement worked for our French philosophers but might not be the authentic code for everyone else. The trick is to discover our own authentic paths where we can express our freedom with the choices that lie before us in the socioeconomic background in which we reside. That is the ultimate journey to transcend our facticity towards freedom.

A particularly interesting section of this book describes Beauvoir’s study of Saint Teresa of Ávila as an authentic mystic. Bernini’s famous sculpture Ecstasy of Saint Teresa is a physical embodiment of her existential philosophy where she has transformed her personal sexual feelings into a deeply religious association with God. But how does this differ from religious fanaticism? Saint Teresa in her many writings urged her readers to think for themselves, to be open to self-knowledge, and beware of delusional rhetoric. Even Descartes was inspired by Saint Teresa at one point. This inspires us to look deeper into historical figures that are often brushed off because they have a monochromatic biography. Every human on this earth has been on a perpetual journey and some were on a constantly changing one. That makes all of us polychromatic beings who have more than the proverbial eye meets.

What I really like about the book is that it contains the author’s own experiences in her profession and personal life and how Beauvoir inspired her to be a better human being and work towards authenticity with the choices she had. As a woman, this was really motivating as Beauvoir has been for so many generations of women to overcome the sense of “Other” and make lead authentic fulfilling lives. Even though Beauvoir lived in a very different time than ours the problems of systemic oppression have been universal in society throughout history. Time and again with myriad examples from her own times and Beauvoir’s world the author compels a beautiful narrative of self-introspection. A sunny disposition or not, it doesn’t harm to reflect on some authentic choices for ourselves now and then.

First, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced e-copy to read in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"How to Be Authentic" did not do it for me. I found it repetitive and hard to WANT to read. I enjoy Simone de Beauvoir, but this made me tire of seeing her name really quickly. However, Cleary seems to have a distinct direction and clear goals for the book which I can very much respect. It seems to be a book crafted by someone who enjoys their work and talking about, writing about, thinking about de Beauvoir in various ways. Overall, I can see the appeal that it has for others who will enjoy this kind of book, I do. For me, I was put off early on and never regained desire to read it even though I pushed on. (Perhaps, though, this is because it reminds me of graduate school in a less than positive way.)

It's not my kind of book, it wasn't written for me, and that's okay. I'm sure others will find it much more enjoyable and much more palatable than I did, so please take my review and rating with a grain of salt.

3/5

I was fortunate enough to get an early copy of this book, and it was so good that I binged it within a day. The only other book I’ve read from Cleary is the one she co-authored How to Live a Good Life: A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Philosophy, and since then, I’ve followed her on Twitter, and she’s a cool person. I was skeptical of this book because as much as I love philosophy, I dislike history books and biographies. I’ve tried reading some biographical books of some philosophers and was bored out of my mind. This book was totally different, and if more biographical books were written like this, I’d read all of them.

I had zero knowledge of Simone de Beauvoir other than hearing her name now and then. This book not only made me interested in some of her work, but I gained so much value from the lessons Cleary pulls from Beauvoir’s work. What made this book great is that it’s maybe 40-50% biography, but the rest is analyzing Beauvoir’s ideas and explaining them with real-world examples. Cleary pulls from some personal stories such as her experience being a woman or about marriage, and she also explains how Beauvoir's ideas can be applied to modern-day activism and other situations. It’s also great because as much as Cleary respects Beauvoir’s work, she discusses some of Beauvoir’s controversial or outdated views as well.

This book is phenomenal, and I haven’t gained this much value from a book in a while. I’ll definitely be re-reading it, and it deserves a ton of attention once it launches.

Deep dive into the philosophy of Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir. At times the book can be a challenge to deeply process, but the insights shared will provoke personal reflection and possibly personal change. The book is highly recommended for those unfamiliar with Beauvoir's work and eager for a thorough review.

How to Be Authentic presents Beauvoir’s philosophies in clear and accessible ways. However, even if you are familiar with Beauvoir’s work I think you will gain an even deeper appreciation through the way the author modernizes her philosophy of what it means to be and how to become authentic. I really appreciated how Skye did shy away from critiques of Beauvoir’s work, especially her lack of emphasis on the experience of women of color and the intersections of oppression.

Through this book you can expect to learn more about Beauvoir’s work through the author’s own personal experiences and through examples that engage with Beauvoir’s contemporaries, including Hannah Arendt. Not only will you learn about Beauvoir and Cleary’s life and work, but you will also learn how to apply Beauvoir’s theory and the quest for fulfillment to your own life.

Not only do I recommend this book, I recommend preordering it! Pub date is July 14, 2022.

HOW TO BE AUTHENTIC sits at the intersection of biography, philosophy, and self-help, yet it transcends all three. Cleary fuses philosophical analysis, personal insight, and cultural commentary. she organizes the book into three sections that emulate the structure of Beauvoir’s own THE SECOND SEX: thoughts on being human, current problems faced, and ideas for action. Cleary’s blend of contemporary, personal, and philosophical analysis further parallels much of Beauvoir’s work. feeling down lately? powerless in the face of structures of oppression? cliché inspirational quotations cannot help. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Beauvoir’s work counters that all selves are impressionable, prone to instability, forever changing. “Dance like nobody’s watching.” to the contrary, existentialists accept that our existence takes on meaning in relation to other people. Beauvoir’s understanding of authenticity might not fit into an Instagram or Pinterest post, but you can find it in HOW TO BE AUTHENTIC by Skye Cleary.

How many different ways can one author suggest we live authentically? Too repetitive and existential for my taste, but I can definitely appreciate the intense study of Simone de Beauvoir that the author completed to write this book.