Straight Up and Dirty: A Memoir

Last night I went to hear Stephanie Klein read and sign her memoir. What ana amazing experience. She is engaging, funny and no holds barred real. Came home and have been reading through the book. I'm almost finished and thoroughly impressed. Klein has a gift of writing the real deal and making it accessible. By this I mean so very relatable. I recommend this book very highly as well as hearing her in person. She's beautiful. Today i'll take a highlighter to the book and note the amazing parts.

I was fortunate enough to catch Stephanie at her book signing last night at Borders in NYC. It was not only a book signing, but it was a gathering of several hundred of her fans. Most of them were very attractive women. Stephanie read a couple of chapters from her book, then fielded questions from the audience. She read with passion and flair, as she is very animated and full of life. She is humble and self-deprecating, yet proud and self-aware. Stephanie has a gift in taking misery and making it funny. From her dating escapades, to her marital woes, every audience member there last night found a little bit of Stephanie inside of them as well. Read the book, you'll be glad you did.

Stephanie Klein recounts her experiences as a young woman living in New York navigating her way though a divorce and dating. Her honest and uncensored approach to writing is stimulating to the point you won't want to put this book down! You will be charmed by her wit and find yourself rooting for her every step of the way. She is a skillful and sincere writer who courageously puts it all out there, the good, the bad and the ugly!

Reviewed by Joanne Benham for Reader Views (7/06) Stephanie Klein had it all. She was young, attractive, artistic, had a wonderful job she loved, a great group of friends, a very special little dog and a husband who just happened to be a doctor. What more could a girl want? Well, Stephanie found out very soon that what she wanted was a new husband because her old husband checked out. That meant she had to get back into the New York dating scene. Spoiled, whiny, an adult brat...all describes Stephanie. But for some reason you find yourself falling a little in love with her. Everyone has a friend like her in their life, and they're richer for it. She tells it like it is, both for herself and anyone who crosses her path, including her many dates...from the guy with the little, um, package to Oliver, who only wanted the best for her...which he felt meant getting her up at 6 a.m. to go running with him. He was wrong. In between dating horror stories are flashbacks to life with Gabe, the Wasband as she calls him, and his mother, who seems to be the prototype of all the evil mothers-in-law ever known. From encouraging Gabe not to marry Stephanie, in front of Stephanie by the way, to redecorating their apartment, she truly is the nightmare-in-law from hell. I felt great sympathy for some of the people who didn't measure up to Stephanie's exacting standards, but hey, she knows what she wants. Maybe in the long run, truth is better. No sense wasting your time on a project doomed to failure. I really enjoyed this book, sitting down and reading it in one afternoon by flashlight as most of our city lost its power. What a great way to spend an unexpected day off.

I was determined to hate it. It was my guilty pleasure. Ha! Let me see how bad this is. At first I found myself annoyed, great more bikini waxing stories, but then I kept reading, hoping it would be a trainwreck. You know, it wasn't. It was actually good. Once I got into the back and forth of the two narrative arcs, I settled in with it. She was more human here, and honestly, it was a juicy read. My phone would ring and I wouldn't answer it. Maybe I'm growing by giving this girl praise, but certainly, after reading SU & D, I know she deserves it.