This is my first experience with Katie Roiphe. I've not read any of her previous works, but I am aware she has ruffled some feathers with her previous books and articles. But I don't care. The subject of this memoir is what captured my attention. The Power Notebooks is a series of essays in which the author is trying to learn more about herself. The whys of her actions.She dissects her life as well as the lives of famous writers. She explores how some women in their writing seems so powerful as well as in public, but in their private lives they long to be subjugated. Which begs the question: Should women show vulnerability?

I found the whole content of this book to be incredibly interesting. Roiphe lays herself bare sharing intimate details of her life. And listening to The Power Notebooks as an audiobook made Roiphe seem even more vulnerable. Roiphe is a gifted writer who makes you think about women and their choices. Why we do the things we do. Why we want the things we want. It takes courage to let people into your life. And even more courage to put it out there on paper for the world to see. Roiphe is not perfect. She doesn't claim to be superwoman or have all the answers. It's as if this book was saying: This is me. This is who I am.

I don't agree with all her insights into the authors she writes about, and I cringed when she talked about an affair she had when she was fifteen with a 30-something year old rabbi. But it was interesting to hear her point of view nonetheless. I am so glad I picked this book up. It not only introduced me to Roiphe herself, but a few other authors I haven't had the pleasure of reading yet. And I've added more books to my wish list because of it.

*My thanks to S&S for providing me with a review copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ( )