Nonfiction Annotation- How to Be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life by Lilly Singh

About the author (excerpts from Amazon):

       Singh is a multifaceted entertainer, finding success as an actress, producer, writer, and creator. One of the most recognizable digital creators, she has amassed a global audience more than fourteen million YouTube subscribers with more than two billion video views on her ||Superwoman|| channel.

       Singh was named to Forbes’s 30 Under 30: Hollywood & Entertainment and Fast Company’s Most Creative People in Business lists and Time named her one of the most influential people on the Internet. 

      ...Singh created her #GirlLove initiative to inspire positivity among women in order to better support each other’s voices and encourage upward mobility. She is also a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.

Page count: 336 pages

Publisher: Ballantine Books; Lilly Singh edition (March 28, 2017)

ISBN-13: 978-0425286463

Literary Awards: Goodreads Choice Award for Nonfiction (2017), #1 New York Times Bestseller
Words of praise:

“Singh segues from her inspirational and uber-watched YouTube videos to essays on how to become a bawse, that is, a supremely self-confident person. She’s been named one of Time’s 2016 ‘30 Most Influential People on the Internet,’ Variety’s ‘10 Comics To Watch for 2016,’ Forbes’s ‘30 Under 30,’ Vogue’s ‘8 YouTube Stars That Are Taking Over the World,’ and more.”—Library Journal

Genres/Tags: Nonfiction, self-help, business & professional humor, autobiographies & memoirs, life stories

Summary

Singh divides her book into four parts, each containing several subtopics (50 chapters total):

1. Master Your Mind
2. Hustle Harder
3. Make Heads Turn
4. Be A Unicorn

Each section of the book is full pictures/illustrations, colors, fonts, write-in areas, and fun pictures of Singh that relate to the topic (there's a subtopic of "play Nintendo" and features a pic of her playing a video game). In the introduction, Singh explains how the pages of the book (glossy, poster-like material) is on purpose so that readers can easily tear out pages that particularly strike them and hang them up.

Each chapter within the four parts is short enough to not be intimidating, and written in a conversational way that's engaging and fun to read. The book never comes off as Singh telling the reader what to do; she often connects it to her personal experience, is empathetic of others experiencing similar things, and invites readers to follow certain steps in their own lives. 

An example in Part 1 is "Call Yourself Out," which focuses on mistakes. Singh includes the steps of take ownership, call yourself out, find solutions, and communicate (p. 39). In Part 2 includes a chapter "Mold Your Failure," which starts out with Singh saying, "My omelets always turn into scrambled eggs. I start off with confidence as my eggs spread perfectly across the pan in a magnificent circle. Every time I think, 'OMG, am I an Iron Chef?'" After saying when it comes time to flip is where she always fails to make a perfect omelet, "I grab my spatula and break the eggs into even more pieces. I like scrambled eggs better anyway. Failure doesn't necessary mean the end of an idea or project" (p. 172).

Overall, I enjoyed this book. The balance of personal and professional guidance makes a holistic self-help book. I love how Singh is both fun, personal, and professional, which is summed up in her main introductory words:

"WARNING: This book does not include hopeful thoughts, lucky charms, and cute quotes. That’s because success, happiness, and everything else you want in life needs to be fought for—not wished for. In Lilly’s world, there are no escalators, only stairs. Get ready to climb." (excerpt from introduction) 

My only qualm is that with so many sections to digest, I think it's better to own the book and take an extended period to read all four parts. It would be difficult to binge read a library copy; although taking pictures or making photo copies of most relevant chapters would help!   

Appeal

Based on our readings of The Readers' Advisory Guide to Nonfiction by Neil Wyatt (ALA, 2007).

• Narrative and characterization: How to Be a Bawse certainly fits with offering "...readers understanding, comfort, and a way to contextualize life" (Wyatt, 2). Singh's personal, professional, and unique writing style adds to the engaging narrative, which range from high to middle on the narrative continuum. It never gets boring or disengaging the further you get into the book. Singh takes on a unique viewpoint of life and how to approach it in relateable ways.
• Subject: Of achieving personal goals and victories is something appealing to many readers.
• Pacing: Nicely organized in small chapters in each overall section. Singh never rambles on needlessly either, so the pacing is quicker than an average self-help book.  
• Detail: Singh has a good focus on the details in all areas. Her comparison anecdotes, citing professional literature/advise, and realistic steps one can take on each topic.
• Tone: humorous, fun, empathetic, uplifting, engaging. Singh makes it clear the entire time that she hopes every reader of her book succeeds. She's really rooting for you, which makes it an uplifting read.
• Language: Singh uses slang words and draws from pop-culture and everyday life, struggles, doubts, etc., which adds reliability, relatability, humor, and relevance to younger audiences. The title alone gives indication of the approach and language readers should expect. However, don't let this make you underestimate Singh! She's highly successful. She wants you to work hard for your dreams to become reality.

Read-alikes

                                  

More objective self-help books:

• You Are A Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living An Awesome Life by Jen Sincero. An entertaining how-to guide that has a more generalized, personal viewpoint that gives more emphasis on spirituality than Singh's book. From Goodreads: "By the end of You Are a Badass, you'll understand why you are how you are, how to love what you can't change, how to change what you don't love, and how to use The Force to kick some serious ass."

• Everything is F*cked: A Book About Hope by Mark Manson (2019). Offers an analysis of current society to help readers become more hopeful about life through interpreting modern stressors and giving alternate points of view. From Goodreads: "He looks at our relationships with money, entertainment and the internet, and how too much of a good thing can psychologically eat us alive. He openly defies our definitions of faith, happiness, freedom—and even of hope itself."

Offering guiding insights told through personal memoir/experiences:

• Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert. This is similar to Singh's as Gilbert channels her personal journey of being a creator to encourage, help, and guide others who wish to embrace their creative sides but have been experiencing barriers. From Goodreads: "Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy."

• #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso (Goodreads 2014 Choice Award Winner for business books). Focuses on flourishing in the business-world through Amoruso personal account from her rise as a dumpster-diving to being her own boss. From Goodreads: "#GIRLBOSS proves that being successful isn’t about where you went to college or how popular you were in high school. It’s about trusting your instincts and following your gut; knowing which rules to follow and which to break; when to button up and when to let your freak flag fly."