As the creator and star of HBO’s ‘Girls’, what is Lena Dunham trying to tell us with her new book title? That she’s nothing like her character, Hannah, in real life? After reading I’m inclined to disagree.
In her new book 'Not That Kind of Girl', Dunham shares her deepest intimacies with her reader, which she categorises into the following sections: Love & Sex, Body, Friendship, Work and Big Picture, all issues that my 18 year old self panicked about on a daily basis. But definitely not to the extent that Dunham experienced. On the back of the book Lena's father Carroll Dunham says: “This book should be required reading for anyone who thinks they understand the experience of being a young woman in our culture.”
After reading, I can’t agree that this book is relevant to everyone who thinks they understand privileged young women, but Dunham’s essays are a very entertaining and honest exploration of putting her life on paper. As Dunham states at the beginning of the book, "There is nothing gutsier to me than a person announcing that their story is one that deserves to be told, especially if that person is a woman."
The first chapter in Section I is titled, 'Take My Virginity (No Really, Take It)' accounting Dunham’s first time. Like everyone’s first time, it does not live up to expectation and is the same sloppy affair we are all familiar with, but somehow because it’s Dunham, you can really picture the whole haphazard encounter. Following that, 'Girls & Jerks' explores her attraction to guys that live by the treat ‘em mean mentality. Even Dunham admits it; "When someone shows you how little you mean to them and you keep coming back for more, before you know it you start to mean less to yourself." But ironically, the chapter titled 'My Regrets' is only a page long, so Dunham, with the ballsy excellence we love her for, is blatantly unafraid of airing her smalls, much like Hannah in ‘Girls’.
Lena writes, “I’m already predicting my future shame at thinking I had anything to offer you, but if I can take what I’ve learned and make one menial job easier for you, or prevent you from having the kind of sex where you feel you must keep your sneakers on in case you want to run away during the act, then every misstep of mine will have been worthwhile.”
'Not That Kind of Girl' is a funny, moving and honest romp through a young woman’s thoughts and past experiences that make the rest of us feel really boring.
Kate Lennon
Lena Dunham's book 'Not That Kind of Girl' is available to buy HERE on Amazon
Pictured: Lena poses with her book
