March 17, 2014
In this appealing business memoir, Nasty Gal founder and CEO Amoruso shares her rags-to-riches story. Having eschewed college, Amoruso moves home, opens an eBay store for vintage clothing, and, after a lot of hard work and many a “Venti Soy No Water No Foam Chai,” finds herself the CEO of a $100 million fashion business called Nasty Gal Vintage. Amoroso’s tone and language may give this book a youthful audience, and kudos to that: few business books keep the teen set riveted while simultaneously inspiring fiscal responsibility and good business sense. It doesn’t hurt that the author has a rebellious streak. A chapter titled “Shoplifting (and Hitchhiking) Saved My Life” turns into a valuable lesson in how to turn one’s life around: “I had always wanted to do something awesome, and instead I was just racking up a soap opera’s worth of skanky experiences.” When Amoruso reminds her reader to pay off her bills and not spend beyond her means, she gives the message a powerful spin, based on her experience of missing a credit card payment at age 19: “I built the company with no debt… by choice… no one would even give me a credit card, never mind a business loan.” Amoruso’s authenticity comes through here and is, no doubt, one of the many reasons for her remarkable success. lllus. Agent: Andy McNicol, William Morris Endeavor.
