Ladyparts

by Deborah Copaken

LADYPARTS mines the author's own destruction and resurrection in the wake of divorce, job loss, financial ruin, and near death, by dissecting—with a devilish wink—her own body, both as a humorous means of reclaiming female objectification and as a serious lens through which to view both personally and universally the ravages of persistent institutionalized sexism, to Mark Warren at Random House.

Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Feminism, Audiobook, Biography, Humor, Biography Memoir

462 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2021

About the author

Deborah Copaken is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including Shutterbabe, The Red Book, Between Here and April, and Ladyparts, her most recent memoir of bodily destruction and resurrection during marital rupture (Random House, 2021). A contributing writer at The Atlantic, she was also a writer on the Emmy/Golden Globe-nominated Netflix hit, Emily in Paris, a performer (The Moth, etc.), and an Emmy Award–winning news producer and photojournalist. Her photographs have appeared in Time, Newsweek, and The New York Times. Her writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Financial Times, Observer, The Wall Street Journal, The Nation, Slate, O, the Oprah Magazine, Air Mail, and Paris Match, among others. Her column “When Cupid Is a Prying Journalist” was adapted for the Modern Love streaming series. She is the founder, writer, producer, CEO, and publisher of the Webby Award-winning Substack, Ladyparts.

Reviews

[Elyse Walters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audiobook…read by Deborah Copaken, the author… brilliantly I might add.
….16 hours and 38 minutes

Whenever Deborah Copaken sees a sunrise or a rainbow she thinks of her dad.
“It’s as if his body disappeared that day and in his place appeared either a sunrise 🌅 or rainbow🌈.

A packed filled book with everything including the kitchen sink.
…..Slut shaming ….surgeries, horrible details of uterus surgery and recovery, hospitals, doctors,
money, career, gripping marriage tales, parents, families, pregnancies, single-parenting, divorce, children, womanhood, friendship, loneliness, anger, frustrations, cancer, dating, men, fucking inappropriate men, environmental issues, being an American, America, traveling,
scary-as-hell traveling, writing, her novels, photo journalism, screenwriting, blogging,
the sociology of suicide,
dog walking, Tinder rules, before meToo & the realities of meToo, being fired, chats about love, consolation jobs, babysitting, housing, living environments, rent, gas, food, financial expenses, eating, starving, sick as hell, maddening injustice, sadness, and shocking news….
freedom debt relief destroyed her credit, being a sucker for a crazy pitch, sound healing therapy, try-anything to alleviate pain measures, Jewish, Tibetan buddhist healing, Nepal, the
Hollywood fantasy, tons of personal stories, …. the good, the bad, the evil…..

I liked it all > in that way where one feels “I want to be friends with this woman”….
…witty, honest, funny, heartbreaking, emotional…. filled with heart!!

In one section, I literally wanted to ‘scream’ (for and with Deborah), with my own anger and cry at the same time!!!

If you loved Nora Ephron…(possible not to?)….
you just might want to cry your eyes out with the love felt!!!

Definitely not a waste of time for me!!!

[Linda Perlstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ... a lot! Here are the things it was about:

-Life with catastrophic ailments
-Friendship with Nora Ephron
-#MeToo
-The hard road to WGA credits
-Marriage on the spectrum
-Working with Darren Star
-App dating
-Eastern wellness
-Ken Kurson and the FBI
-The inadequacies of freelance health insurance

Any, say, five of these topics would have been enough. I liked the components individually and appreciated (I think?) that Copaken names names, but it's a bit all over the place and long.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won and ARC copy of this book through Goodreads giveaways! I am stunned by this book. Somehow, she covers the female experience by telling her own narrative. Sexual harassment, rape, slut-shaming, healthcare designed for men only, childcare, the wage gap, the jop opportunity differences, treatment in the workplace, divorce, dating, and the organs that terrorize our bodies are all put on display. Every human needs to read this book. If you find the events and situations in this book shocking, you need to educate yourself on the multifaceted disparities between men and women. So often I hear the counter argument, "yes women have it bad with this, but men experience this too". To the same percentage? Is the same response given? Who is acknowledged more? I feel sad that the majority of the female readers of this book will, like me, not be surprised at the events within. We will all find parts of her narrative that sound like she's narrating our lives instead. But maybe, like me, this gives you hope that someday there might be a world where this doesn't have to happen. Hopefully, this book gives you even a tiny little boost to try and make your own way in the world, like it has done for me.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only made it 116 pages before having to set this one down. I actually feel quite badly about not enjoying it; the author has clearly had a tough go of things and does tell compelling stories, but there came a point where I just couldn’t take the nonstop drumbeat of how Hard everything is. Without resorting to victim blaming, I can only hope that more women these days leave relationships that aren’t working (to say the least), advocate for themselves with their doctors, and learn the pillars of personal finance early in their careers. Those seem to be the big lessons to glean from her story.

The book is also just… long. The structure intentionally jumps around the timeline, but the narrative within each section also jumps around to other years and stories, so it can also feel disjointed at moments. I wish an editor had been a little more assertive about working with her to pare things down, as I just don’t think things like the multi-page excursion to wax about the state of public and private schools on the upper west side of Manhattan versus in Harlem added any real value to the overall reader experience. Valuable topic, but not in the context of this type of memoir.

Don’t get me wrong — with a life like this I can understand wanting to share it all. But it’s a lot. Contemplating another 300 pages of this ultimately is just too daunting a task for me.

[Ayelet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nora Ephron was her mentor and she's friends with an Ayelet. She had me with that!

[Bonnie Goldberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Necessary and Critcal

This is an urgent necessary and critical book for every woman (and man) in my friend and family group. As a long time Copaken fan, I expected nothing less. But Copaken hits it out of the park with this book, mining her own dark secrets struggles and shame to force us to reckon with the multi layered complexity of why women have it so hard and receive such poor medical care while at the same time pushing us to be smarter and safer. And am I more grateful than ever to be a Canadian with a health care safety net.

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars is the most I can go for this story as it was way too long, way too detailed and included a lot of extra stuff that was not needed for this story. For that I blame editing, but also, the author was told at one job to cut down the size of her stories, but it sure looks like she did not heed that advice.

Another piece of advice she didn't want to hear was how no one wants to listen at a dinner table to stories of blood pouring out of her. yuck; not the time nor the place. Most of us would not want to hear about it anywhere.

The author has had it tougher than most people I know and I give her credit for not giving up, but rather making it work despite all the issues she had to deal with. Having a spouse with Asperger's myself, I understand the illogical nature of the partner who is supposed to help, but who doesn't understand what is expected. Her husband sounds on the far edge of usefulness in any way so she has had that a lot harder than I.

It was the other problems in her life that wore me down. An an advocate of my own for health, I could not understand her way of putting off getting medical advice. True, some of the time she had no health insurance and the cost would be prohibitive; I get that. It's when she did have insurance, but put off finding out what the problems were, that she risked her life for no good reason.

When writing, she chose to publish an article early on that everyone told her not to publish as it would seriously limit who would want to publish her work. She chose to ignore the advice, went ahead and found they were right; no one wanted to be associated with her work for a long while after.

Her children turned out to be decent people, but where was their effort to help with their education costs and why was she the only one who could help them? Her hubby was off having a good time as a single man while chaining her to the marriage, but even though he often had jobs fall apart, what about when he did make money? Why wasn't he helping? Why did she feel the need to support him and his lifestyle? I really don't understand the need to do anything for him after he opened charge accounts for himself in her name and stuck her with the bills.

She seemed like a magnet for bad things to happen to her, medically and otherwise. How many times was she mugged? raped, assaulted? It was too much for me.

Yes, her me too issues are real and she was deprived of justice. I am very glad she spoke out about it and wished for a better result. I learned from some of her examples, but mainly by thinking not to do as she did.

If it could be cut in half, it would still be too long. Most of her digressions could have been saved for a different book. When I heard she planned to make this into a movie, I cringed. Who would want to see it?

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved Deb’s writing- for her honesty, humanity, and humor, but this book spoke to me on so many levels as a woman in her early 50s, a parent, a wife, a professional. It is the narrative version of a manifesto- a call for women to stand up for one another and fight the patriarchy- for the sake of the health of our bodies, and our minds!

[Gretchen Rubin]

An astonishingly candid and thought-provoking memoir.

[Karen Germain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group for providing me with a copy of Deborah Copaken’s memoir, Ladyparts, in exchange for an honest review.

Writer and photojournalist Deborah Copaken’s Ladyparts, begins over a decade after her first memoir, Shutterbabe, which detailed her early career as a war photographer in Afghanistan. In Ladyparts, Copaken chronicles her separation from her husband, Paul Kogan, and the subsequent stress, health, and financial issues that followed.

I can’t remember the last time that I read a memoir that made me feel every single emotion. All of the feels. Mostly, I felt anxiety and rage towards Copaken’s struggles. To be clear, Copaken is not seeking pity, but Ladyparts serves to shed a light on the inequalities in our society, especially those that women face.

When she sought divorce from her husband, she was left with the bills and childcare, while he restarted his life in California. This situation, along with job loss and health problems, such as a cancer diagnosis, caused extreme instability in Copaken’s life. She saw her savings dwindle to the point where she had to put off having critical surgeries or even reconsider taking not just an ambulance, but a cab, to the hospital during a health emergency. Copaken offers many statistics that show not only a severely flawed US health system, but specifically where the health system fails women. It made my blood boil.

She gives startling examples of how women’s health is simply not given research funds, and how many gynecologist are not trained to help post menopausal women. It’s terrifying and makes me livid. I have a family history of gynecological cancers in my family, and now I am the same age as both my mom and aunt when they had endometrial cancer. I’m constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. I felt very triggered and anxious when reading these sections of Ladyparts, especially as I’ve also been in Copaken’s position of not having health insurance. It’s terrifying and I don’t take it for granted now that I have it.

Copaken is so brave and honest. She gives a raw account of her medical situation, including a very graphic retelling of massive blood clots that expelled from her body after a complication from surgery. A complication that she was never briefed could happen, therefore making it even more serious and scary. At one point, she is explaining this at a dinner party and a friend cautions her to keep the details private, as it is not proper. Copaken refuses to be silent or tone down her story. I want to commend and thank her for sharing the details. It is important for women to be heard, especially in situations like these, where her story could help save lives.

My anxiety peaked when Copaken detailed her various problems at different companies. It was a reminder that freelancing (which I’m currently doing) is uncertain, and that the changes in technology and work culture have devalued the contributions of writers. Also, the idea that being middle-aged can be viewed as a liability or another reason to be devalued, made me feel ill. I worked for the same company for nearly fifteen years and it took me a long time to realize that there is little loyalty and no such thing as job security. I was raised by a mom who essentially worked for the same company her entire career and preached the gospel of finding a place and staying loyal, but that is simply not the way the world works now and Copaken’s experiences highlight this new way of doing things.

The #Metoo movement looms large in the last chapters of Ladyparts, as Copaken’s private life goes viral when she outs Ken Kurson, a major editor and friend of Donald Trump, for harassment, stalking, and derailing her career. The details are shocking, but ultimately this story breaking is a huge win.

Speaking of wins, one of the most poignant and beautiful moments comes towards the end, when Copaken encourages her son to “break the rules” and join her on their apartment rooftop to view Fourth of July fireworks bursting over the New York skyline. It’s an intimate moment between a mother and her son. Copaken reflects on time and makes an affecting comment on how our bodies are borrowed, and how we don’t know how much time we have in them, so we should live to the fullest. This resonated with me.

Ladyparts might be one of the most important, perspective changing writing that I have ever encountered. It certainly wasn’t an easy read, as I had to brace myself for the emotions every time I picked it up, but I absolutely recommend it to everyone. Copaken writes without mercy and is a force. Also, Copaken’s friendship and advice from Nora Ephron is fantastic.

Like my review? Check out my blog!

[Kristi Lamont · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I was trying to figure out my various reactions to this book (WOW, important, ugh, really? YES!), it suddenly came to me that _this_ is why I have never even attempted to write a memoir.

Because I know that there would be someone like me out there -- jealous as hell that someone her age "got" to be a war correspondent, was friends with Nora Ephron, went to Harvard, who made a career in New York City, was able to have children (none of which apply to yours truly) -- who would slam my book because it contained too many fancy-schmancy words and foreign phrases, because she didn't appreciate what it took for me to lay my guts out on the page (almost literally and figuratively, and I mean both me and Deborah Copaken*), who kept thinking, "Really, didn't you bring at least _some_ of this on yourself?"

So, put simply: Ms Copaken is made of sterner stuff than I. And I applaud her for that.

That said, I am not going to go out of my way to drink a beer with her anytime soon. She name-drops a bit too much for my taste. She does what I think of as "fake-owning" her trauma/s. Like, "I own this, it's all on me." Um, yeah, no. That phrasing is not upheld by a whole lot else in your book. She really, really could dumb it down and write shorter. (I once attended a writing clinic by what was then termed "an old newspaperman" who preached The Gospel of, "Why use a quarter word when a nickel word will do?" Rest in ink, Clarke Stallworth. Rest. In. Ink.)

So.

The content of this book is deserving of 5 stars and then some. It's important information about how, in particular, the medical-pharmaceutical-industrial complex apparatus is stacked against females of the human sort. And about how ridiculously evil it is for even halfway-decent healthcare to be tied to one's employment. And how so, so many things cost way, way more than they should.

The writing itself, overall, was 4 to 5 stars. But all that fancy-schmancying really detracted from it, and slowed down Your Humble Reader. Who is not exactly a slouch on the fancy-shmancying front herself.*

And? Repetition. Sigh. Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.

Summary: If you are female person, or if you care about a female person, read this book. It is hugely important. (If you don't care about a female person? Well, then, fuck right off.)

(almost literally and figuratively, and I mean both me and Deborah Copaken*)
I have had entirely too many surgeries for one person in my 55 years on this planet, and the number I have had when comped with Ms Copaken's is negligible. I actually once sat in an exam room in the pain clinic of an internationally renowned university medical center and told the lead physician that if he did not refer me to a surgeon for abdominal pain that I would bring a melon-baller and bottle of Jim Beam into his main waiting room and perform surgery on myself there. [He referred; oh my goodness! There was a real problem! That was surgically removed!]

Who is not exactly a slouch on the fancy-shmancying front herself.*
Once upon a time, early in the days of Our Marriage, I said something about a medicine not having the efficacy it once had, due to this, that and the other.

My Beloved Other said: "Efficacy? Nobody talks like that."

Ahem.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Deb is smart, funny, and observant on the trials of being a 50ish divorced woman in journalism. Sometimes she feels right on target. Her account of online dates is good comic fodder. She’s had a string of bad luck, especially with her health and jobs, but she’s also got an Ivy League degree, a career as a war photographer, published books, a TV series in the works, and an unbelievable number of bi-coastal contacts whose names she drops on nearly every page. Why can I not drum up more sympathy or interest in this woman? I find myself agreeing with the editor she looked down on: “Dumb it down, and make it shorter.”

[Michaelann · Rating 1 out of 5]

Couldn’t finish. I increasingly found it hard to sympathize with this white, middle-class, Harvard graduate, who complains too much about how the American culture and system is beating her down. I agree there should be some changes for women, but she’s also an educated adult who made some poor choices in life. She likes the phrase, “Yes, AND…” so I found myself mentally shouting at her, “Yes, AND there are natural consequences for your personal behavior and choices!” Her victim diatribe is not uplifting to women — at all. Way too long and exhausting. This memoir needs major editing.

[Moonkiszt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book!

Picked it up because it oddly came to me at exactly the time I needed it having received a stage scary diagnosis of my own inner workings. . .and so many other experiences of which Deborah Copaken writes I have also found myself in the middle of. . . some are done and I've moved on, and some well - they persist.

This will be a read that needs a need to make it most helpful. If all is well and hunky-dory, this might not be that time for you. But if you have a need to know you are not alone in the midnight fight, the big battle, the search for others. . .this just might help. It worked a fair measure of mending, rally and snapback on me.

Last of all Deborah Copaken's fight wasn't / isn't just for her and hers. . .like every good soldier she's out there shouting her heart out to make the world a better place for every one of us. She yelled her head off and fought the big dogs. Huzzah and Hurray for that! Kudos, sez I!

[Penny · Rating 1 out of 5]

Had I known this book was written by a rape enabler, I would never have purchased it.

Women like Ms. Copaken make the world a more dangerous place for women and girls.

There is a big write up of her in which she says of her rapist "I have absolutely forgiven him. And it's the most beautiful thing."

For whom?

Ms. Copaken revels in Himpathy (see Kate Manne's brilliant book "Down Girl" for that definition).

Although claiming to support Christine Blasey Ford, Ms. Copaken says she is not naming her rapist because "I don't believe in public shaming. I don't want revenge."

How does Ms. Copaken think Dr. Ford feels when she reads those words? How do any of the brave women who publicly named their own rapists to protect other women feel?

Ms. Copaken may not want to "shame" her rapist, but she has no problem shaming victims of rape who name their abusers.

Women like Ms. Copaken encourage us to protect rapists at the expense of women and children.
That's really what the Restorative Justice movement is all about: protecting men from the trauma of accountability, while women and children bear the trauma of male sexual violence.

Ms. Copaken never gives a moment's thought to the fact that she is almost surely not the only victim of this predator - or that a common ploy of sociopaths is the "pity play" which is exactly what her rapist used to get her to keep her mouth shut.

I'm not surprised that Ms. Copaken endured an abusive marriage for over 20 years (setting a horrible example for her daughters) nor am I surprised that she almost died avoiding a trip to the hospital while giant blood clots poured from her vagina.

Ms. Copaken does not protect herself, and she romanticizes this as a good way for women to be.

Rape is never inevitable.
Rape is a CHOICE that men (primarily) make.
As long as women like Ms. Copaken glorify the protection of men at the expense of women and children, rape will never end.

Name the Rapist.
Protect Women & Children
Do Not Fall for the Pity Play.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never been into memoirs or autobiographical books before, but Deborah Copaken pulled me into this one from the very first page. This story is so relatable on so many levels, I found myself both laughing and crying along with her as I journeyed through her last decade or so of life. Fantastic book! Thank you, Deborah, for your brutal honesty and for letting this reader know she wasn't alone struggling through divorce and a healthcare system that makes absolutely no sense in a first world country.

[Cathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so grateful that my friend Lauren suggested we read this together. What a ride. While this memoir is an extremely personal narrative of the struggles of being female, it centers itself on the challenges of health, health care, and relationships. Compelling, enraging, inspiring, and so well-researched, Copaken’s writing made me feel all the wonder, all the woes, and all the effort it takes to sometimes just maintain the status quo as a working woman and single mother in her fifties. There is so much to unpack here… let’s just leave it at: read this book.

[Karel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book after reading an essay compiled from excerpts. I understand the valid points she was making throughout this memoir, and completely agree that Things Must Change. But I was glad when I finally finished it. She's a talented writer - as Copaken will remind you throughout - but... exhausting. (If I hadn't paid real money for it, I probably wouldn't have stuck with it.)

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the Audible version of the book, read by the author. A simultaneously funny and painful memoir, highlighting the many ways in which our society fails women. If you were born with a uterus, read this book. If you weren’t, read it twice.

[Angela Juline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe everyone already is familiar with this author - but I had never heard of her - I will admit I couldn't believe how many famous people are in her life - and yet, to experience such financial hardship along with health and relationship challenges. I guess that alone gave me a new perspective - having rich friends doesn't mean you, too, are rich.

What a unique way to organize her story - and it just isn't a story about her - she uses her journalism background to give the reader a foundation for why many of the challenges she faced were unique to being a woman in America.

And finally, finally, I have a response to all those who have money that tell me money doesn't buy happiness:

"It sure does buy time, convenience, childcare, breast scans, and professional opportunity, all of which can lead to greater happiness. So, I'd like to amend that saying, if I may. An excess of money doesn't buy happiness, but having enough money does, and not having any money whatsoever buys nothing but fear, anxiety, and life-threatening heart palpitations."

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a woman in this world really sucks.

Also I don’t think I’ll ever watch anything by Darren Star ever again after he screwed over one of his oldest friends, just one of many egregious acts by many grotesque males revealed in this book.

I loved Shutterbabe, Copaken’s earlier book a LOT, but this may have just surpassed it. This book is so of this time and this place and being a 50-something woman in this backwards world (she’s just two years older than me). Right place, right time.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got through this because it is basically a train wreck I could not stop reading about. She was so fucked up, she couldn't take care of herself or her children and was looking for her magical love affair? She's spending money on dates (when she has none) because she is "made for love" and she knows real love because her Dad loved her? It's nonsense.

I have read essays about her and her husband and his Aspergers but what I didn't realize is that he was diagnosed 20 years into their marriage. For 20 years he was just a self absorbed asshole and in that time she didn't leave him? Or murder him? But instead had three kids with him?

She is a great writer, has a lot of important, interesting stuff to say but her life is a mess and that's not all America's fault. I agree 100% that our healthcare, and our social support system is straight garbage but unfortunately you have to live your life with that reality. I found it really ironic that she was judging addicts and their constipation; and in the same chapter she decides she is to good to write ad copy for a pharma company while her kids live in squalor. WTF

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this memoir, the author shares how her personal and medical history was more challenging because she did not have insurance, despite being a bestselling author with an illustrious career in New York Times bestselling author. Using her own body as a metaphor for how women are treated in the American healthcare system, the author talks about her medical struggles, the industry's insurmountable hurdles, and the physical toll they take on women today.

The author used her scars and traumas—from getting Covid, losing her job, losing her father, getting a hysterectomy, a trachelectomy, and a vaginal cuff dehiscence—to tell a much bigger story of what it's like in America for the shrinking middle class and how our healthcare system compares to healthcare systems in other countries. She also intersperses statistics and facts to explain the gaps.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbyowens.com/transcript/deb...

[Barb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deborah Copaken's book, Ladyparts, is a frank, raw, and relatable memoir that covers everything from her life-threatening surgeries, the divorce from her Asperger husband, child care, job-hunting, sexual harassment, near homelessness and her crazy experience with dating apps. I'm betting most females will recognize her struggles with her health, finance and relationships, even if they are not at the beginning of their 5th decade as Copaken is. She deserves a survival reward for not just surviving but for fighting to the top of her game from the bottom over and over again as you the reader also deserve a reward for hanging in there with her, especially if any of her distressing accounts serve as memory triggers to your own struggles.

[Andrea Drewganis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Homer's "The Odyssey", Land's "Maid" and Lyon's "Disrupted" had a baby, this would be it. Exploring the big themes of our modern era (healthcare, affordable housing, discrimination, the gig economy, the caretaker's economy), Deborah Copaken turns her journalistic eye for detail inward as she leads us through a hero's journey of the battles a middle-aged woman wages with her mind, heart and body. Her first person account of longing, loss and love is equal parts outrageous and relatable. It's hard to look away and impossible to put down because we need to know that this gritty, capable, loving woman is going to be ok in the end. Will she? Will we?

[Grace Marras · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I really liked the voice of the author. I struggled greatly with her privilege though. There were a lot of hard things and trauma that happened to her, yes. She also is still a white person in America which gives her access to resources and options that most cannot dream of. I wish she would have acknowledged that at some point.

[Bridget Palmer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Clever writer and interesting enough story - but repetitive and long with the same points, however legitimate, emphatically made again and again and again. In the end tiresome, shrill, and for this reader not especially humorous (as billed) or empathy inducing.

[Lua · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I've read in a while - highly recommended! I very much admired the author's honesty when sharing very personal stories, and also her ability to bring in the facts and statistics to show how her experiences are often shared by many others, and why. Many of the issues she talks about involve women's healthcare, and the fact that many times medical studies have been done on men, but not on women. This lack of research can cause major problems when women don't get the info and care they need. Due to a lack of research/studies, a doctor gives her advice regarding a surgery - later proven by studies to be bad advice - which almost causes her to die. She also lives through what it's like when your health care is tied to your job, you lose your job, and can't afford the care you need.

There's so much more covered in this memoir - divorce, financial instability, income inequality, sexual harassment (some of it by a buddy of Jared Kushner), unaffordable childcare... I would need to write an essay to begin to describe all of the interesting issues she covers. Better you should just read it!

[Jamie Harley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Important, Difficult

Cultural shift requires extreme behavior by some of us. We simply cannot advance the game without bold moves by key players. I respect Ms. Copaken’s willingness to step out on the tilting edge for women. She writes well, though I grew tired of the pitch of her writerly voice, which I found intense and sometimes strident. The substance of a lot of Ladyparts is very important, and for the guts of the work, I commend it. But it is just too blasted long. Minutiae consumes paragraphs…and after I got the good stuff, I found myself skipping tens of pages routinely. That kind of tone-deafness makes this book much more difficult to read than it should be. Still, you should read it.

[Gail Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

I reached a point 80 percent of the way through when I hit the stop button and said, “Rant without me.”

When you see this author’s beauty, read her talented writing, realize she went to Harvard, has three seemingly good kids, YET can’t get or keep a job because of repeated poor judgment or personality conflicts or the government or sexism or healthcare - even if you agree with a lot of what she says - you just become exhausted.

There is blame galore but so little responsibility.