About the Book
Karen Carbo, in her unique book titled "In Praise of Difficult Women" presents 22 inspiring women fighters along with their biographies to inspire individuals from various communities. The women discussed have shown remarkable courage, overcoming obstacles one by one, and have never lost hope in achieving their goals.
According to Carbo, these individuals have a clear understanding of their interests and place great value on fulfilling their needs. She also notes that while these women are kind and dedicated mothers, they have never neglected their own desires and have not forgotten themselves. The author emphasizes the resilience of these individuals, considering it an effective factor in confronting the limitations imposed on women in different countries.
From the author’s perspective, resilient women are not at all aggressive or irritable; while they may become angry like other inhabitants of this planet at times, they manage to control their emotions when needed and make full use of all their tools and resources for their advancement. Another interesting point that strongly resonates with readers, which the thoughtful author does not shy away from mentioning, is that pioneering women do not merely wait for love and approval from others; rather, they shape themselves in such a way that others seek their approval.
About the Author
Karen Carbo is an American novelist born in 1956 in Michigan, United States, and she is also engaged in journalism. Carbo's works often appear among the New York Times' selected pieces, and she has produced various writings to date, including: "How to Hepburn," "The Diamond Lane," and "Big Girl in the Middle."
Who should read this book?
This book is recommended for women who want to transform their lives by taking inspiration from powerful women and achieve extraordinary results.
Book Quotes
Notorious hard-nosed women have many commonalities, but one unique characteristic of such women is their "indifference to the opinions of others." The best possible example of a notorious hard-nosed woman who does not care about what others think is Elizabeth Taylor. Over seven decades, Elizabeth Taylor was at the center of attention as Hollywood's first modern female star and America's most passionate actress, and she was the subject of countless rumors. Throughout those years, she undoubtedly did everything she wanted to do, regardless of what people said. She never offered justifications for herself or explanations for her behavior to please others. Elizabeth was both amazing and terrifying. As a hyper-feminine figure, she was not controlled by public opinion. To become Elizabeth Taylor—the Elizabeth who tells us to take off that scandalous red dress and throw it away—you had to be tough, dangerous, and powerful.
The history of Elizabeth Taylor is well-known, although her fame has diminished over time. When I asked my 24-year-old daughter what she knew about Taylor, she replied that Liz had many husbands and wore eyeliner in the movie Cleopatra. While that was true, she had been acting since childhood and played her famous role in "National Velvet" (a film my horse-loving daughter liked but apparently forgot) when she was only twelve years old. In those days, Elizabeth Taylor was a star, and for 67 years afterward, until she passed away at the age of 79 in 2011, she remained a movie star. Elizabeth appeared in several classic films, including "A Place in the Sun" (1951), "Giant" (1956), "Butterfield 8" (1960), and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" (1966), winning the Academy Award for Best Actress for the last two films; however, her best performance was how she handled herself. She was a passionate woman who made no effort to hide her desires and cravings.
When it comes to a tough woman, we often think of someone who is articulate, straightforward, and bossy, but Josephine was not that kind of woman. She appeared sweet and kind, but when she made decisions with her heart, her behavior could be exceedingly annoying (like during her performance in America and her interactions with Pepito) and extraordinarily bold. The call of her heart never compelled her to surrender. She moved forward with determination and resolve, and even if her life were in danger, she would not refrain from going ahead.
Biographers of Josephine have stated: "Josephine was happy that she was married and eager to have a child, but Jean did not want to live under one roof with Josephine, which made Josephine a troublesome woman." When a woman shows resistance and maintains her position, others see her as a troublesome woman. After 14 months, Josephine's patience ran out; she was not the kind of woman who would wait for a man until the grass grew under his feet. So, she filed for divorce and left home with her achievement from that marriage (French nationality).
