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What I Know Now

Letters to My Younger Self

By Ellyn Spragins

(1)

| Hardcover | 9780767917896

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Book Description

If you could send a letter back through time to your younger self, what would the letter say?

In this moving collection, forty-one famous women write letters to the women they once were, filled with advice and insights they wish they had had when they were younger.

Today show correspondent Ann Curry writes to herself as a rookie reporter in her first job, telling herself not to change so much to fit in, urging her young self, “It is time to be bold about who you really are.” Country music superstar Lee Ann Womack reflects on the stressed-out year spent recording her first album and encourages her younger self to enjoy the moment, not just the end result. “Your hair matters far, far less than you think,” is the wry advice that begins the letter bestselling mystery writer Lisa Scottoline pens to her twenty-year old self. And Maya Angelou, leaving home at seventeen with a newborn baby in her arms, assures herself she will succeed on her own, even if she does return home every now and then.

These remarkable women are joined by Madeleine Albright, Queen Noor of Jordan, Cokie Roberts, Naomi Wolf, Eileen Fisher, Jane Kaczmarek, Olympia Dukakis, Macy Gray, and many others. Their letters contain rare glimpses into the personal lives of extraordinary women and powerful wisdom that readers will treasure.

Wisdom from What I Know Now

“Don’t let anybody raise you. You’ve been raised.” –Maya Angelou

“Try more things. Cross more lines.” –Breena Clarke

“Learn how to celebrate.” –Olympia Dukakis

“You don’t have to be afraid of living alone.” –Eileen Fisher

“Please yourself first…everything else follows.” –Macy Gray

“Don’t be so quick to dismiss another human being.” –Barbara Boxer

“Work should not be work.” –Mary Matalin

“You can leave the work world—and come back on your own terms.” –Cokie Roberts

“Laundry will wait very patiently.” –Nora Roberts

“Your hair matters far, far less than you think” –Lisa Scottoline

“Speak the truth but ride a fast horse.” –Kitty Kelley

1 Review

The book is a good idea - asking successful women to write letters to their young selves. Through these letters, readers are supposed to learn some life lessons from these women's reflections.
Unfortunately, I am personally disappointed by, first, the selection of "successful" women in the boo ... (continue)

The book is a good idea - asking successful women to write letters to their young selves. Through these letters, readers are supposed to learn some life lessons from these women's reflections.
Unfortunately, I am personally disappointed by, first, the selection of "successful" women in the book. Some of them really are not that successful... they are just famous / well-known. It could be just me, but come on, there are more accomplished successful women that are worth including! My second disappointment has to do with the quality of some of the letters. Most of them are insightful, but there are some awful ones as well. I am sure the author felt bad about not including someone's letter after the person committed to this project, but there has to be some quality control!
All in all, I recommend that you flip through this book at a bookstore near you and read some of the interesting, well written, insightful letters written by a few really accomplished women leaders of our times, but don't spend the money on it... half of the content is not worth it.

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Chloe Suen said on May 18, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback