If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You

I am an avid reader. I have been known to devour 9 books in a week when I have taken a break from my hectic life. I have NEVER read this type of book from start to finish. I prefer a series and get bored with anything less than a roller coaster ride from a book. This is the First and Only book I have bought, read and enjoyed from start to finish that did not fall into that category. I had no clue who Kelly is, and have no desire to learn about fashion. This did not stop me from reading the book. I read it as a woman who wanted to hear Kelly's view as a woman after seeing her on Dr. Phil. I do not regret reading the book and recommend it to anyone who wants to hear some funny, inspiring, and powerful views from the life of another woman, through the course of trial and error. I was raised by a Christian mother (almost Pentecostal) in a small town. I was not offended by the content or view of religion in this book. We are all entitled to our views, which is what makes the world a colorful place. I love Kelly's bitchiness and honesty. Yes there is name dropping, which meant nothing to me because I have no clue who the majority of the people are, but it is part of Kelly's life. How can you tell a story like this without mentioning people who were involved? Or how can you make a point of the level of pressure, expectations, or atmosphere without the names? I completely agree with the programmed thought process we are given as women and find it refreshing for someone to point it out. I got the overall points Kelly was trying to make and found her way of telling it entertaining. If this had been another boring `self help' book, I would not have made it past the first chapter.... Life is a learning curve full of trial and error and often we do what is expected rather than what we really want.I will be sending this book to my 21 year old daughter's kindle for her to read. I think the underlying messages are clear and something for her to hear from someone other than her mother.. I'm sure she will find it as equally entertaining as I did.I applaud Kelly for putting this book out there for some of us to love and for others to hate..

If you're looking for a book on how to break into the PR or fashion business then this isn't the book you're looking for. And if you're someone who was always comfortable with your A-to-B route through life pre-planned long before your twenties, then you won't care for this, either. This is the deeply personal tale of this woman's rollercoaster journey through life. It reminds me a little of Cameron Crowe's classic, Jerry Maguire, who "had to lose everything in order to come out on top"...So far I've seen a lot of parallels between myself and this woman. Not because fast-paced big city life particularly appeals to me; I never spent any time partying until 5AM every night or piling up thousands of dollars of debt in unpaid parking tickets or developing a notoriously dangerous drug habit. I also know very well I will never have the kind of energy she has... But because I have a similar kind of beatnick spirit that never found religious fulfillment my parents' system of Catholic church twice a year, and was always uncomfortable with the path I was letting myself get pushed along: I went off to the star state-school instead of taking it slow at the local community college like I'd wanted - which resulted in dropping out after one year and transferring to art school much to the disappointment of my mother. Then letting my life grow stagnant in the slow whirlpool of family drama, part-time jobs, and old crew of party-hard friends (which resulted in me jumping into the military just to get away from it all and force myself to fly the nest)... But having found the guts to strike out and do my own things a few of times in life I still, like this woman, find myself plagued by self-doubt and paralyzed by fear and worry - demons whose voices only feel stronger as I grow older and the pressure over other traditional things in life like cranking out some kids to be done all the more quickly intensifies...If you're like me then this book may actually speak to you personally, and help you develop methods to work through your doubts and fears in order to become a more together person who's confident that she'll die without regrets...

The easy thing about Kelly Cutrone's life is that she made into a living what she did best at living for--partying. That may make her PR life seem like a cop out, BUT nonetheless she did have to hurdle over the same obstacles any fashion aspiree would, she just had more fun and drinks doing it. Maybe it's because both world's (PR and fashion) require very similar skill sets--physically putting your life on the line to meet a deadline, networking being the holy grail to guaranteed success, and an intoxicating bitch-aura that frightens everyone you even look at. But I think Kelly hit the nail on the nose with this book and even had an extra dagger to jab at some humor. In fact, some of her recollections of her past (and there were quite a bit of them, not that I minded), aligned with my life in an unsettlingly coincidental way. I suppose this is because, short version, we both came from small towns and flew off to the big city with the tenacity to go along with our big dreams. So if you're that girl or guy, read this book.More than a memoir, Kelly wrote a sort of an in-the-closet-self-help book, except, like most self help books, it doesn't tell you how to live your life, it veers your mentality into focus in order for you to tell yourself how to live your life. That said, this book is for, above all, the aspiring Fashion Blank who is determined to make it in this poisonous industry while still having a grasp on the state of humanity. But that doesn't mean an aspiring accountant shouldn't pick this up, you're just going to have to deal with all the fashion references, aside from that, at the end of the day you'll still get the same juice that all us Fashion Blanks got.

I own this and normal gets you nowhere and this is by far the better of the two. This is a woman who has lived her life and is passing her experience and advice on to a younger generation. Im pretty much the designated market for this book, by being a young girl studying for a degree in PR so I may be somewhat biased but it puts things into perspective and helps you see things a bit more clearly. I took it as a bit of a self help book.

I have watched that awfully inane The City and thought Kelly Cutrone was the best thing in it. This is a real eye opener - a warts and all story. Cutrone tells her story - how she came to New York, got involved in drugs, built her business. This lady is one tough cookie - with a heart. She is quite spiritual and this comes into the book which I wasn't expecting and which isn't my cup of tea but don't let that put you off. Not a bad read at all.

I really enjoyed this book although I didn't know much about Kelly before. However, I find her career path very interesting and I was looking for some advice on the fashion industry and PR jobs. There was a lot of great advice and the first half of the book was just what I expected. However, the second half of the book was quite difficult for me as I just wasn't that interested in it. Motherhood just wasn't what I was expecting to read about. This was recommended by one of my favourite bloggers sometime last summer and I found the title very interesting. I don't know if I'll be buying her second book, as I've heard that it's about her spiritual side and not her career.

This book was recommended by a friend when I wanted book recommendations for feeling positive. This was a very inspiring book and a great way to look at things. It's a self help book for people who don't like self help books. It's not too long a read either. I thoroughly recommend it if you want to look at things in a new way.

If you want to make your way in the world of fashion PR then this should be read and re-read. Cutrone is brutal, but also loyal and funny and clever. If Jennifer Saunders ever wants to reignite AB Fab then she needs to read this book first, its brilliant.