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How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment
An illuminating introduction to the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir and its relevance to modern life
In an age of self-exposure, what does it mean to be authentic?
“Authenticity” has become attenuated to the point of meaninglessness; everyone says to be yourself, but what that means is anyone’s guess. For existential philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, authenticity is not the revelation of a true self, but an exhilarating quest towards fulfillment. Her view, central to existentialism, is that we exist first and then spend the rest of our lives creating―not discovering―who we are. To be authentic is to live in pursuit of self-creation and self-renewal, with many different paths towards diverse goals.
How to Be Authentic is a lively introduction to Simone de Beauvoir's philosophy of existentialism, as well as an exploration of the successes and failures that Beauvoir and other women have experienced in striving towards authenticity. Skye C. Cleary takes us through some of life’s major relationships and friendship; romantic love; marriage; children; and death, and examines how each offers an opportunity for us to stretch toward authenticity. While many people don’t get to choose their path in life―whether because of systemic oppression or the actions of other individuals―Cleary makes a compelling case that Beauvoir’s ideas can help us become more conscious of living purposefully, thoughtfully, and with vitality, and she shows us how to do so in responsible ways that invigorate every person’s right to become poets of their own lives.
In an age of self-exposure, what does it mean to be authentic?
“Authenticity” has become attenuated to the point of meaninglessness; everyone says to be yourself, but what that means is anyone’s guess. For existential philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, authenticity is not the revelation of a true self, but an exhilarating quest towards fulfillment. Her view, central to existentialism, is that we exist first and then spend the rest of our lives creating―not discovering―who we are. To be authentic is to live in pursuit of self-creation and self-renewal, with many different paths towards diverse goals.
How to Be Authentic is a lively introduction to Simone de Beauvoir's philosophy of existentialism, as well as an exploration of the successes and failures that Beauvoir and other women have experienced in striving towards authenticity. Skye C. Cleary takes us through some of life’s major relationships and friendship; romantic love; marriage; children; and death, and examines how each offers an opportunity for us to stretch toward authenticity. While many people don’t get to choose their path in life―whether because of systemic oppression or the actions of other individuals―Cleary makes a compelling case that Beauvoir’s ideas can help us become more conscious of living purposefully, thoughtfully, and with vitality, and she shows us how to do so in responsible ways that invigorate every person’s right to become poets of their own lives.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published August 16, 2022
About the author
Skye Cleary
8 books75 followersSkye C. Cleary, PhD MBA is a philosopher. She is the author of "How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment" (2022), "Existentialism and Romantic Love" (2015) and co-editor of "How to Live a Good Life" (2020). Skye teaches at Columbia University and the City College of New York. Her writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Aeon, The Times Literary Supplement, TED-Ed, and The Los Angeles Review of Books, among other outlets. She was a MacDowell Fellow (2021), awarded the 2021 Stanford Calderwood Fellowship, and won a New Philosopher magazine Writers’ Award (2017). She lives in New York City with her partner and son.
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September 5, 2022
Cleary very obviously knows her stuff: she brings in not only Beauvoir’s non-fiction writings, but mines her other works for examples of how to put Beauvoir’s ideas into practice. Were this book an explanation of Beauvoir’s brand of feminist existentialism, I’d be all over it.
However, I think that the structure of the book works against Cleary’s strengths. It’s generally built out of a series of life situations, in which Cleary described how Beauvoir’s philosophy would apply to aging, marriage, children and such, making it something like a self-help book built around existentialism, which is stretching things a little thin. Beauvoir has a lot to say about many of these topics, but in trying to demonstrate the application to the modern world, Cleary brings in stories from her own life, and those of her friends, which seems unnecessary: given how eventful Beauvoir’s own life was, it’s hard to imagine that there isn’t an example from her life that could be used. The result is what the kids would call “cringe,” like a professor sharing way too much information during a class discussion.
My other quibble is about Cleary’s repeated discussion of Beauvoir’s lack of awareness of intersectionality. Beauvoir was a remarkably privileged woman, something that she acknowledged in her writing. Her experiences don’t necessarily apply to less privileged women, something that’s especially important when we’re talking about self-actualization, a process that can be easily derailed by a lack of material resources. A book that really dealt with that, that tried to show how existentialism might apply to people who aren’t as privileged as Beauvoir or Sartre were, could be really great- but this isn’t that book. The examples that aren’t from Beauvoir are from the author and her friends- who all seem to be privileged women, too. As a result, we get something that academics (including myself!) are guilty of a lot: saying that we acknowledge intersectionality so we can get away with not really dealing with it.
Look, this is better than 90% of the self help books out there, as there’s real, serious philosophical content. But it’s too bad it’s playing in that league, rather than a more ambitious work of pop-philosophy that Cleary seems to have in her.
However, I think that the structure of the book works against Cleary’s strengths. It’s generally built out of a series of life situations, in which Cleary described how Beauvoir’s philosophy would apply to aging, marriage, children and such, making it something like a self-help book built around existentialism, which is stretching things a little thin. Beauvoir has a lot to say about many of these topics, but in trying to demonstrate the application to the modern world, Cleary brings in stories from her own life, and those of her friends, which seems unnecessary: given how eventful Beauvoir’s own life was, it’s hard to imagine that there isn’t an example from her life that could be used. The result is what the kids would call “cringe,” like a professor sharing way too much information during a class discussion.
My other quibble is about Cleary’s repeated discussion of Beauvoir’s lack of awareness of intersectionality. Beauvoir was a remarkably privileged woman, something that she acknowledged in her writing. Her experiences don’t necessarily apply to less privileged women, something that’s especially important when we’re talking about self-actualization, a process that can be easily derailed by a lack of material resources. A book that really dealt with that, that tried to show how existentialism might apply to people who aren’t as privileged as Beauvoir or Sartre were, could be really great- but this isn’t that book. The examples that aren’t from Beauvoir are from the author and her friends- who all seem to be privileged women, too. As a result, we get something that academics (including myself!) are guilty of a lot: saying that we acknowledge intersectionality so we can get away with not really dealing with it.
Look, this is better than 90% of the self help books out there, as there’s real, serious philosophical content. But it’s too bad it’s playing in that league, rather than a more ambitious work of pop-philosophy that Cleary seems to have in her.
October 15, 2022
How to Be Authentic: Simone de Beauvoir and the Quest for Fulfillment
By Skye Cleary
I was not familiar with Simone de Beauvoir's philosophy of existentialism and author Skye Cleary in her vast understanding and quest to find authenticity is indeed the Subject Matter Expert on this particular topic. Clearly a lot of research has been done on this topic and on Beauvoir's philosophy itself. As a woman who has multiple roles in my personal and professional endeavors, I found this topic to be one of importance to me. I want to be as authentic as I can be as a nurse, an educator, a wife, a daughter, a mother, and a friend - among other things. This book is certainly not cliche - it has substance and is well organized.
How To Be Authentic is not a one sitting type of a book, and as a matter of fact, I had to slow down and read this book, some passages multiple times before I allowed myself to move on to the next section. This nonfiction philosophy, biography, self-help book is an absolutely fantastic read. I am probably much closer to self-fulfillment or at least understand the process of discovering my true self a little better because of Cleary's book.
Fantastic!
By Skye Cleary
I was not familiar with Simone de Beauvoir's philosophy of existentialism and author Skye Cleary in her vast understanding and quest to find authenticity is indeed the Subject Matter Expert on this particular topic. Clearly a lot of research has been done on this topic and on Beauvoir's philosophy itself. As a woman who has multiple roles in my personal and professional endeavors, I found this topic to be one of importance to me. I want to be as authentic as I can be as a nurse, an educator, a wife, a daughter, a mother, and a friend - among other things. This book is certainly not cliche - it has substance and is well organized.
How To Be Authentic is not a one sitting type of a book, and as a matter of fact, I had to slow down and read this book, some passages multiple times before I allowed myself to move on to the next section. This nonfiction philosophy, biography, self-help book is an absolutely fantastic read. I am probably much closer to self-fulfillment or at least understand the process of discovering my true self a little better because of Cleary's book.
Fantastic!
October 5, 2022
Rating: 3.5
Mini Review:
When I received this book I was immediately intrigued by the title and cover! I had no idea what it was about but I was excited to give it a try. I would say this one was interesting and good but it’s not a book you’ll want to finish in one sitting. While I was enjoying it for the most part I had to keep forcing myself to read it. I’m not sure if that’s because of the material or my mood at the time. I also found this one to be extremely repetitive which as you all know I hate repetition in books when it's unnecessary. This book is well written and the reader can see how much research and time the author put into this book which I really appreciated while reading. Overall, I would recommend this one because I think some will enjoy it. I think it just depends on the person and what they are looking for.
Thank you so much @stmartinsessentials for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Mini Review:
When I received this book I was immediately intrigued by the title and cover! I had no idea what it was about but I was excited to give it a try. I would say this one was interesting and good but it’s not a book you’ll want to finish in one sitting. While I was enjoying it for the most part I had to keep forcing myself to read it. I’m not sure if that’s because of the material or my mood at the time. I also found this one to be extremely repetitive which as you all know I hate repetition in books when it's unnecessary. This book is well written and the reader can see how much research and time the author put into this book which I really appreciated while reading. Overall, I would recommend this one because I think some will enjoy it. I think it just depends on the person and what they are looking for.
Thank you so much @stmartinsessentials for the gifted copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
August 19, 2022
I must admit that I'm a little biased, since Skye is a colleague and friend. But I had a really good time reading her How to Be Authentic. Even though I had some background knowledge of existentialism as a philosophy of life it was fascinating to discover much more about de Beauvoir's life and thought. I particularly enjoyed the chapters on friendship, aging, and death, but all the others are no less engaging. Of course that doesn't mean I'm ready to switch to existentialism (whatever that may mean), nor that I don't disagree with both de Beauvoir and Skye on specific issues. But that's the fun of reading good philosophy!
February 18, 2022
I was fortunate enough to get an early copy of this book, and it was so good that I binged it within a day. The only other book I’ve read from Cleary is the one she co-authored How to Live a Good Life: A Guide to Choosing Your Personal Philosophy, and since then, I’ve followed her on Twitter, and she’s a cool person. I was skeptical of this book because as much as I love philosophy, I dislike history books and biographies. I’ve tried reading some biographical books of some philosophers and was bored out of my mind. This book was totally different, and if more biographical books were written like this, I’d read all of them.
I had zero knowledge of Simone de Beauvoir other than hearing her name now and then. This book not only made me interested in some of her work, but I gained so much value from the lessons Cleary pulls from Beauvoir’s work. What made this book great is that it’s maybe 40-50% biography, but the rest is analyzing Beauvoir’s ideas and explaining them with real-world examples. Cleary pulls from some personal stories such as her experience being a woman or about marriage, and she also explains how Beauvoir's ideas can be applied to modern-day activism and other situations. It’s also great because as much as Cleary respects Beauvoir’s work, she discusses some of Beauvoir’s controversial or outdated views as well.
This book is phenomenal, and I haven’t gained this much value from a book in a while. I’ll definitely be re-reading it, and it deserves a ton of attention once it launches.
I had zero knowledge of Simone de Beauvoir other than hearing her name now and then. This book not only made me interested in some of her work, but I gained so much value from the lessons Cleary pulls from Beauvoir’s work. What made this book great is that it’s maybe 40-50% biography, but the rest is analyzing Beauvoir’s ideas and explaining them with real-world examples. Cleary pulls from some personal stories such as her experience being a woman or about marriage, and she also explains how Beauvoir's ideas can be applied to modern-day activism and other situations. It’s also great because as much as Cleary respects Beauvoir’s work, she discusses some of Beauvoir’s controversial or outdated views as well.
This book is phenomenal, and I haven’t gained this much value from a book in a while. I’ll definitely be re-reading it, and it deserves a ton of attention once it launches.
January 16, 2022
In HOW TO BE AUTHENTIC: Simone de Beauvoir and The Quest For Fulfillment, Skye Cleary resurrects the prominent feminist philosopher. Simone de Beauvoir, who spent most of her life terrorized by her own mortality, created a system of thought that transcended her corporeal self, resulting in a life immortalized by the beauty and necessity of her everlasting precepts. If the work of most philosophy is but a footnote to Plato, then the great works of feminist thought are but mere footnotes to de Beauvoir.
In traversing the trajectory of her life, Cleary asked: What does an authentic individual look like? In attempting to disentangle our desires from the influences of our environments, we often wonder how much of ourselves are, in reality, the products cultivated by our homes. And if most of our lives are indeed determined, then how free can we be? De Beauvoir argued that while we’re trapped, to some extent, in the facticities of our world (our genes, parents, socioeconomic statuses, and culture), most of us possess the ability to transcend them, or at least attempt to; fundamentally, environment isn’t destiny. And rather than propounding a “pick yourself up by the bootstraps” version of philosophy, de Beauvoir highlights the importance of community and civic engagement for substantial material and psychological change.
In wondering who we are and could be, Cleary maintains that we ought to additionally consider what we owe others, asserting, “Although authenticity is a quest, it’s not a solo one… Authenticity is about forging our own paths, but it doesn’t mean we get to do whatever we like. For Beauvoir, freedom without responsibility is meaningless. Responsibility means acknowledging that we are interconnected, and that we live situated in a particular time and place. Beauvoir—more so than any other philosopher—is unique in helping us navigate this tension between riding our own freedom and maneuvering through a world filled with others trying to do the same.”
In essence, authenticity implies a strong sense of reality; in order to be real, we have to first possess a genuine understanding of our impact on the world and care enough about it. Unfortunately, while her philosophy was elegant and timeless, de Beauvoir struggled to enact it in her own life. Leading lives filled with countless scandals and some debauchery, de Beauvoir and her partner, existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, emotionally wounded countless lovers, including their own students. Although she tirelessly fought for human rights, I wondered how much de Beauvoir cared about individuals. And, like any other heroine or hero, her character wasn’t deficient in major flaws.
As the book progressed, Cleary provided us with a lens through which to conceive of de Beauvoir’s perspectives. Stifled by a culture that told her who she was and ought to be, de Beauvoir became an iconoclast after discovering the vacuity of authoritative ideologies. In challenging the supposition of human nature, Cleary paraphrased Simone when she wrote, “Mystifications are false ideas about who we are and what we’re are supposed to be. Mystifications are a problem because they are illusions that get in the way of authenticity. One of these mystifications is the assumption that women and men have in-built essences that define them in an absolutist way—for example, that women are emotional and men are rational, and which enables men to perform better than women.” In this conception, human nature is less of a fact and more of a bludgeon. Analytic philosophers direct us to explore both the validity and consequences of ideas, respectively labeled “the upstream evidence” and “the downstream consequences” by philosopher Andy Norman. In doing so, we ask ourselves how beliefs affect our cultures and whether they’re worth holding onto. In the case of human nature, while its soundness is hotly debated, its consequences are indisputable. And de Beauvoir, like many other contemporary scholars and activists, acknowledged and articulated the exponential harms created by the construct, and justifiably disavowed it on both grounds.
However, even with all of this in mind, the most impressive aspect of the book was the author’s willingness to be vulnerable, her decision to undertake a profoundly risky endeavor. In sharing her own struggles with mental illness and difficult romantic relationships, Cleary showed the reader how far away from the ideal the world can often be. Yet, she remained hopeful of its future. Skye opened the door to the dark side of life but provided us with the tools to initiate re-shaping it. In the perfect existential manner, she held up our collective contradictions to us. And one can argue that Simone de Beauvoir epitomized stark contradiction, but if we’re being honest with ourselves, we would recognize that we do, too.
To be authentic, we have to continue to acknowledge our own faults and those of our beliefs. We can’t proceed with those that perpetually, and selfishly, foster harm, for doing so would imply that we’re living in bad-faith (or denial in psychological terms). Cleary was honest about de Beauvoir’s weaknesses as well as her own, and her bravery isn’t lost on the reader. If there’s any limitation in this work, it’s that it leaves the reader begging to learn more, wishing to ask Cleary how she effectively continues to battle back against the demons of self-doubt.
In traversing the trajectory of her life, Cleary asked: What does an authentic individual look like? In attempting to disentangle our desires from the influences of our environments, we often wonder how much of ourselves are, in reality, the products cultivated by our homes. And if most of our lives are indeed determined, then how free can we be? De Beauvoir argued that while we’re trapped, to some extent, in the facticities of our world (our genes, parents, socioeconomic statuses, and culture), most of us possess the ability to transcend them, or at least attempt to; fundamentally, environment isn’t destiny. And rather than propounding a “pick yourself up by the bootstraps” version of philosophy, de Beauvoir highlights the importance of community and civic engagement for substantial material and psychological change.
In wondering who we are and could be, Cleary maintains that we ought to additionally consider what we owe others, asserting, “Although authenticity is a quest, it’s not a solo one… Authenticity is about forging our own paths, but it doesn’t mean we get to do whatever we like. For Beauvoir, freedom without responsibility is meaningless. Responsibility means acknowledging that we are interconnected, and that we live situated in a particular time and place. Beauvoir—more so than any other philosopher—is unique in helping us navigate this tension between riding our own freedom and maneuvering through a world filled with others trying to do the same.”
In essence, authenticity implies a strong sense of reality; in order to be real, we have to first possess a genuine understanding of our impact on the world and care enough about it. Unfortunately, while her philosophy was elegant and timeless, de Beauvoir struggled to enact it in her own life. Leading lives filled with countless scandals and some debauchery, de Beauvoir and her partner, existential philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, emotionally wounded countless lovers, including their own students. Although she tirelessly fought for human rights, I wondered how much de Beauvoir cared about individuals. And, like any other heroine or hero, her character wasn’t deficient in major flaws.
As the book progressed, Cleary provided us with a lens through which to conceive of de Beauvoir’s perspectives. Stifled by a culture that told her who she was and ought to be, de Beauvoir became an iconoclast after discovering the vacuity of authoritative ideologies. In challenging the supposition of human nature, Cleary paraphrased Simone when she wrote, “Mystifications are false ideas about who we are and what we’re are supposed to be. Mystifications are a problem because they are illusions that get in the way of authenticity. One of these mystifications is the assumption that women and men have in-built essences that define them in an absolutist way—for example, that women are emotional and men are rational, and which enables men to perform better than women.” In this conception, human nature is less of a fact and more of a bludgeon. Analytic philosophers direct us to explore both the validity and consequences of ideas, respectively labeled “the upstream evidence” and “the downstream consequences” by philosopher Andy Norman. In doing so, we ask ourselves how beliefs affect our cultures and whether they’re worth holding onto. In the case of human nature, while its soundness is hotly debated, its consequences are indisputable. And de Beauvoir, like many other contemporary scholars and activists, acknowledged and articulated the exponential harms created by the construct, and justifiably disavowed it on both grounds.
However, even with all of this in mind, the most impressive aspect of the book was the author’s willingness to be vulnerable, her decision to undertake a profoundly risky endeavor. In sharing her own struggles with mental illness and difficult romantic relationships, Cleary showed the reader how far away from the ideal the world can often be. Yet, she remained hopeful of its future. Skye opened the door to the dark side of life but provided us with the tools to initiate re-shaping it. In the perfect existential manner, she held up our collective contradictions to us. And one can argue that Simone de Beauvoir epitomized stark contradiction, but if we’re being honest with ourselves, we would recognize that we do, too.
To be authentic, we have to continue to acknowledge our own faults and those of our beliefs. We can’t proceed with those that perpetually, and selfishly, foster harm, for doing so would imply that we’re living in bad-faith (or denial in psychological terms). Cleary was honest about de Beauvoir’s weaknesses as well as her own, and her bravery isn’t lost on the reader. If there’s any limitation in this work, it’s that it leaves the reader begging to learn more, wishing to ask Cleary how she effectively continues to battle back against the demons of self-doubt.
May 6, 2023
An important book for understanding existential philosophy. Cleary writes beautifully about the foundation of existentialism, navigating through life’s situations, and fulfillment. Very helpful.
March 18, 2022
One of my most anticipated books of 2022 did not disappoint! Skye Cleary captures the essence of Beauvoir’s philosophy. She outlines the central pieces of her philosophy while leaving room for fair criticism and mixed with various examples in our modern times. Cleary has stayed true to accurate analysis of Beauvoir’s ideas on feminism and how her philosophy is still very relevant for us today. Highly recommend everyone read this well-researched and well-written book!
August 6, 2022
I haven't read anything by Simone de Beauvoir and nothing in depth about Existentialism yet. This book is a good entry point into both.
The author looks at different aspects of our lives and explores how these were lived authenticity by Simone through a discussion of her writings and exploring Simone's own life choices (which are fascinating) and then explores them from contemporary points of view.
I liked this approach and the organisation of the book. It felt simplistic in places but I guess if I want a deeper dive I will need to read Simone's writing. I already bought two of her journals and 'The Ethics of ambiguity'.
One slight criticism is when the author presents some of Beauvoir's fictional writing I often felt that she told too much and revealed the endings of some of the books. If you can, read 'The Mandarins' and 'All men are mortal' before reading this book.
This book definitely got me to reflect on my own approach to topics like aging, friendship and others. It holds many interesting details and is very easy to read.
Quotes
"Hegel argued that becoming self consious involves being recognised by other people. The problem is that other people can sense us in ways that we cannot sense ourselves, meaning that part of our being is opaque to us and transparent to the other. If one of the goals of life is to know ourselves as completley as possible so we can come to understand how to create our lives authentically, then knowing what other people think of us - how they hear and see us, how they relate and respond to us - is impotant too”
“ Authentic frindship becons us to keep our hearts open and our minds welcome to challenges, to having our being called into question…
One way to think about this is like a bungee cord: authentic friendship stretches you in new exciting, energising, and scary ways, but also supports you and keeps you safe because you are recognised for who you are and not for what you can do for each other.”
The author looks at different aspects of our lives and explores how these were lived authenticity by Simone through a discussion of her writings and exploring Simone's own life choices (which are fascinating) and then explores them from contemporary points of view.
I liked this approach and the organisation of the book. It felt simplistic in places but I guess if I want a deeper dive I will need to read Simone's writing. I already bought two of her journals and 'The Ethics of ambiguity'.
One slight criticism is when the author presents some of Beauvoir's fictional writing I often felt that she told too much and revealed the endings of some of the books. If you can, read 'The Mandarins' and 'All men are mortal' before reading this book.
This book definitely got me to reflect on my own approach to topics like aging, friendship and others. It holds many interesting details and is very easy to read.
Quotes
"Hegel argued that becoming self consious involves being recognised by other people. The problem is that other people can sense us in ways that we cannot sense ourselves, meaning that part of our being is opaque to us and transparent to the other. If one of the goals of life is to know ourselves as completley as possible so we can come to understand how to create our lives authentically, then knowing what other people think of us - how they hear and see us, how they relate and respond to us - is impotant too”
“ Authentic frindship becons us to keep our hearts open and our minds welcome to challenges, to having our being called into question…
One way to think about this is like a bungee cord: authentic friendship stretches you in new exciting, energising, and scary ways, but also supports you and keeps you safe because you are recognised for who you are and not for what you can do for each other.”
July 16, 2023
4.90 I am about to buy 20 copies of this book and gift it to people I love for Christmas. Really well researched and beautifully composed book.
February 21, 2022
HOW TO BE AUTHENTIC sits at the intersection of biography, philosophy, and self-help, yet it transcends all three. Cleary fuses philosophical analysis, personal insight, and cultural commentary. she organizes the book into three sections that emulate the structure of Beauvoir’s own THE SECOND SEX: thoughts on being human, current problems faced, and ideas for action. Cleary’s blend of contemporary, personal, and philosophical analysis further parallels much of Beauvoir’s work. feeling down lately? powerless in the face of structures of oppression? cliché inspirational quotations cannot help. “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Beauvoir’s work counters that all selves are impressionable, prone to instability, forever changing. “Dance like nobody’s watching.” to the contrary, existentialists accept that our existence takes on meaning in relation to other people. Beauvoir’s understanding of authenticity might not fit into an Instagram or Pinterest post, but you can find it in HOW TO BE AUTHENTIC by Skye Cleary.
May 12, 2022
First, thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced e-copy to read in exchange for a fair and honest review.
"How to Be Authentic" did not do it for me. I found it repetitive and hard to WANT to read. I enjoy Simone de Beauvoir, but this made me tire of seeing her name really quickly. However, Cleary seems to have a distinct direction and clear goals for the book which I can very much respect. It seems to be a book crafted by someone who enjoys their work and talking about, writing about, thinking about de Beauvoir in various ways. Overall, I can see the appeal that it has for others who will enjoy this kind of book, I do. For me, I was put off early on and never regained desire to read it even though I pushed on. (Perhaps, though, this is because it reminds me of graduate school in a less than positive way.)
It's not my kind of book, it wasn't written for me, and that's okay. I'm sure others will find it much more enjoyable and much more palatable than I did, so please take my review and rating with a grain of salt.
3/5
"How to Be Authentic" did not do it for me. I found it repetitive and hard to WANT to read. I enjoy Simone de Beauvoir, but this made me tire of seeing her name really quickly. However, Cleary seems to have a distinct direction and clear goals for the book which I can very much respect. It seems to be a book crafted by someone who enjoys their work and talking about, writing about, thinking about de Beauvoir in various ways. Overall, I can see the appeal that it has for others who will enjoy this kind of book, I do. For me, I was put off early on and never regained desire to read it even though I pushed on. (Perhaps, though, this is because it reminds me of graduate school in a less than positive way.)
It's not my kind of book, it wasn't written for me, and that's okay. I'm sure others will find it much more enjoyable and much more palatable than I did, so please take my review and rating with a grain of salt.
3/5
October 26, 2022
Compelling read, food for thought
January 8, 2023
Skye Cleary has made a good book but has entangled a very strong undertone of feminism that I believe is not needed in order to know how to "be you". There is very good research that has been done in the making of this book and Skye Clearly presents it very well but it is almost as if she is speaking to women only. As a male reading this I find the book enjoyable to read because of Skye Cleary's well put together words but she has lost me on the basis of relevance to a broader audience including men. Many of the ways in which she tells the reader they can be "authentic" require you to fit into her category of: Woman who has been oppressed (she believes that to be all women) and/or minority in society. As neither of those I am still able to understand the point that Clearly is trying to get through but it would be much better for everyone if she focuses on "the art of authentic living" instead of "why I think women are oppressed and how if you are a women you can be authentic and stand up to men".
August 22, 2022
A comprehensive introduction to the modern day applications of Simone de Beauvoir and existentialism. Not gonna lie, at first I was really bored with this. I listened to it as an audiobook so, I think that was part of it. However, once I got into it this was really interesting and it definitely appealed to my philosophical side. I always identified with existentialism but had never actually read in depth research on the topic. I loved how the author acknowledged Beauvoir’s lack of focus on intersectionality as well as various other shortcomings. Despite some of her views being dated, I still felt like a learned so much about myself on this journey. What does being authentic look like for me? I’m still figuring it out but I feel more inspired to embrace all the emotions that come with learning to accept life and death. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!
January 2, 2023
Thank you to St. Martin's Essentials for an early copy for review.
This is an updated explanation of the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir, as well as commentary from the author about the shortcomings of this philosophy and in what aspects it was lacking. The author did an amazing job of not only explaining the philosophy, but also rounding it out to make it more inclusive.
I feel this is a really important work of non fiction that explores what it means to be authentic and whole, while also allowing others that same courtesy. It really dives into loving an authentic life in every aspect.
This book was so through and I can't sing its phrases enough. I adored this and highly recommend it.
This is an updated explanation of the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir, as well as commentary from the author about the shortcomings of this philosophy and in what aspects it was lacking. The author did an amazing job of not only explaining the philosophy, but also rounding it out to make it more inclusive.
I feel this is a really important work of non fiction that explores what it means to be authentic and whole, while also allowing others that same courtesy. It really dives into loving an authentic life in every aspect.
This book was so through and I can't sing its phrases enough. I adored this and highly recommend it.
September 22, 2022
How to be Authentic does the twofold job of introducing readers to the philosophy of "authenticity" of famed existentialist Simone de Beauvoir and placing it in the context of the 21st century and the writer's own life in it. In this framework, life events and choices are understood in terms of striving for personal freedom, understanding on a deep level the same ambition in others, and deriving meaning in life from the pursuit of projects and goals that enhance said freedom (known as transcendence). Being a prominent feminist, de Beauvoir's philosophy of personal freedom frequently casts its glance at the unfairly limiting structures of the patriarchy and at woman's oppression in society, a topic that's just as important now as it was in 1949 when The Second Sex was published.
While I appreciate the effort to make "The Beaver"'s philosophy more approachable, I found this collection lacking in structure and overly peppered with moments from the author's life that took away from the main text in distracting ways. Mentioning in every chapter that the writings of a Parisian women born in 1908 didn't fully capture the distinct plight of women of colour, or going on about her relationships that in any philosophical system could easily be seen to be toxic, diluted the text to the point of annoyance. This would be a great book with some better editing and less of the author's life story.
While I appreciate the effort to make "The Beaver"'s philosophy more approachable, I found this collection lacking in structure and overly peppered with moments from the author's life that took away from the main text in distracting ways. Mentioning in every chapter that the writings of a Parisian women born in 1908 didn't fully capture the distinct plight of women of colour, or going on about her relationships that in any philosophical system could easily be seen to be toxic, diluted the text to the point of annoyance. This would be a great book with some better editing and less of the author's life story.
March 22, 2024
some parts of this were better than others but a lot of it really shifted my perspective in a lot of ways, especially when it comes to owning my decisions and owning my life and myself! overall a good read, but reading about misogyny before bed made my nightmares even crazier xoxo
January 10, 2023
Fantastic gateway into the massive world of Beauvoir’s existentialism and philosophy. Particularly liked chapters on Romantic Love, Happiness, and Self Sabotage.
Read
January 24, 2023i picked the book up in a local bookstore as it turned out the owner was reading it also :')
good food for the brain!!
good food for the brain!!
January 29, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
February 12, 2023
Sorry Queen B, maar ik vind 'wat zou Simone de Beauvoir doen' toch wat leerzamer dan 'What Would Beyoncé do?!'
December 12, 2023
I don’t know much about philosophy, but I ain’t one myself so no way am I able to critique the contents of this book… but for some reason I didn’t think it was gon be such a pro feminism book (and that’s entirely on me), but I don’t regret it. I am now able to consciously start living more authentically in some sense bc I can see how it was done, so yay
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December 29, 2023This is what can be called American-style books: reinterpretation of ideas, finding their relevance to contemporary social issues, and adding personal experience. Dr. Cleary makes the ideas of French existentialists, particularly de Beauvoir's, relevant to modern readers in the United States. She achieves this by providing examples from de Beauvoir's life and works, referencing contemporary movies and authors, and sharing her own experiences as a teacher, mother, wife, and in other roles. What bothers me about this book is that it is not transformative: this is like a book size length New Yorker magazine article.
March 7, 2022
How to Be Authentic presents Beauvoir’s philosophies in clear and accessible ways. However, even if you are familiar with Beauvoir, I think you will gain an even deeper appreciation through the way the author modernizes parts of her work and explores what it means to be and how to become authentic. I really appreciated how Skye didn’t shy away from exploring and validating critiques of Beauvoir’s work, especially her lack of emphasis on the experience of women of color and the intersections of oppression.
Through this book you can expect to learn more about Beauvoir’s work through the author’s own personal experiences and through examples that engage with Beauvoir’s contemporaries, including Hannah Arendt. Not only will you learn about Beauvoir and Cleary’s life and work, but you will also learn how to apply Beauvoir’s theory and the quest for fulfillment to your own life.
“Authenticity frees us to remove those masks we use to protect ourselves. It allows us to pursue an open future of our choosing.”
Highly recommend! Pub date is August 16, 2022!
Through this book you can expect to learn more about Beauvoir’s work through the author’s own personal experiences and through examples that engage with Beauvoir’s contemporaries, including Hannah Arendt. Not only will you learn about Beauvoir and Cleary’s life and work, but you will also learn how to apply Beauvoir’s theory and the quest for fulfillment to your own life.
“Authenticity frees us to remove those masks we use to protect ourselves. It allows us to pursue an open future of our choosing.”
Highly recommend! Pub date is August 16, 2022!
August 19, 2022
As a former college philosophy major who loves Sartre and Camus, I always felt that it was a glaring omission that I didn’t know more about Beauvoir or her philosophy.
At one point, a few years ago, I tried to read her book The Ethics of Ambiguity. But I found it too impenetrable. It was dense and abstract and I struggled to follow what she meant. It was good, but I just couldn’t connect with it.
The Second Sex is, obviously, a classic. But at roughly 40 hours as an audiobook, I was always too intimidated by it.
I figured one of her novels would be my entry point—until I found this book.
This book was a surprisingly quick read. I went through it in either 3 or 4 days.
I loved the framing of it: The author exploring how to live her own life through the lens of Beauvoir. This felt apt since so much of Beauvoir’s work is personal and autobiographical.
This work was also written to a female reader, by a female author, about a female icon. I found this to be refreshing. We are far too accustomed, especially in philosophy, to be reading the exact opposite.
This book was a good introduction to Beauvoir and makes me even more interested in going further into her work—which is precisely what you’d want from a book like this. It should send you excitedly back to the source material.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, but the author did a great job at making it accessible and relatable.
I’m glad I read it.
At one point, a few years ago, I tried to read her book The Ethics of Ambiguity. But I found it too impenetrable. It was dense and abstract and I struggled to follow what she meant. It was good, but I just couldn’t connect with it.
The Second Sex is, obviously, a classic. But at roughly 40 hours as an audiobook, I was always too intimidated by it.
I figured one of her novels would be my entry point—until I found this book.
This book was a surprisingly quick read. I went through it in either 3 or 4 days.
I loved the framing of it: The author exploring how to live her own life through the lens of Beauvoir. This felt apt since so much of Beauvoir’s work is personal and autobiographical.
This work was also written to a female reader, by a female author, about a female icon. I found this to be refreshing. We are far too accustomed, especially in philosophy, to be reading the exact opposite.
This book was a good introduction to Beauvoir and makes me even more interested in going further into her work—which is precisely what you’d want from a book like this. It should send you excitedly back to the source material.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, but the author did a great job at making it accessible and relatable.
I’m glad I read it.
January 14, 2023
2.8
Mixed feelings on this book. I wanted it to be better and thought it would be perfect after roaming around the library looking for books on Simone de Beauvoir bc I love her.
This book fell short for me for a few reasons. Authenticity is treated like a badge of honor, like some type of binary standard where all throughout the book the author explicitly labels everything as either authentic or not. The book is riddled with “shoulds” and I don’t like that, especially when reading philosophy because it’s not a self help book.
The whole book was the author holding up beauvoirs philosophies to beauvoirs life and her own life, which made it this weird mix of a memoir and trying to reveal beauvoirs hypocrisy. I don’t really care about how well you or she could follow the philosophies I just wanted to know what they are more in depth. And just the application of this woke lens to beauvoirs thoughts seemed so unnecessary… obviously her work was progressive for the mid 1900s and it’s not as much now, do we really have to be so critical?
Maybe I just had different expectations. But of course some good lines that I loved:
“Every moment contains possibilities for grasping our situation, creating ourselves, and connecting with others as authentic friends”
Mixed feelings on this book. I wanted it to be better and thought it would be perfect after roaming around the library looking for books on Simone de Beauvoir bc I love her.
This book fell short for me for a few reasons. Authenticity is treated like a badge of honor, like some type of binary standard where all throughout the book the author explicitly labels everything as either authentic or not. The book is riddled with “shoulds” and I don’t like that, especially when reading philosophy because it’s not a self help book.
The whole book was the author holding up beauvoirs philosophies to beauvoirs life and her own life, which made it this weird mix of a memoir and trying to reveal beauvoirs hypocrisy. I don’t really care about how well you or she could follow the philosophies I just wanted to know what they are more in depth. And just the application of this woke lens to beauvoirs thoughts seemed so unnecessary… obviously her work was progressive for the mid 1900s and it’s not as much now, do we really have to be so critical?
Maybe I just had different expectations. But of course some good lines that I loved:
“Every moment contains possibilities for grasping our situation, creating ourselves, and connecting with others as authentic friends”
December 20, 2022
uitvoerige bespreking:
https://zinvollerleven.nl/wat-zou-sim...
korte review:
2.5 ⭐Dit boek is vooral interessant als het over De Beauvoir en haar werk gaat en zet aan tot nadenken en verder lezen. De auteur geeft een heldere en voldoende toegankelijke inleiding zonder de lezer te onderschatten.
Wanneer de auteur streeft naar wokeness en politieke correctheid kan ik me niet aan de indruk onttrekken dat ze bang is gecanceld te worden, maar waaiert daarmee ook weg van de visie van De Beauvoir als onderwerp en het komt ook om bij diezelfde DB te blijven 'niet authentiek' over. Het irriteert.
Dat geldt ook voor wanneer de auteur probeert met voorbeelden uit haar eigen leven te komen of het onderwerp te koppelen aan de actualiteit. Die delen leiden af van de kern en voegen onvoldoende toe om de interesse vast te houden. Die delen heb ik ook al vrij snel grotendeels diagonaal lezend overgeslagen.
De Beauvoir's werk heeft in ieder geval voldoende interesse gewekt om een dezer dagen De Tweede Sekse en een biografie over Simone te gaan lezen.
https://zinvollerleven.nl/wat-zou-sim...
korte review:
2.5 ⭐Dit boek is vooral interessant als het over De Beauvoir en haar werk gaat en zet aan tot nadenken en verder lezen. De auteur geeft een heldere en voldoende toegankelijke inleiding zonder de lezer te onderschatten.
Wanneer de auteur streeft naar wokeness en politieke correctheid kan ik me niet aan de indruk onttrekken dat ze bang is gecanceld te worden, maar waaiert daarmee ook weg van de visie van De Beauvoir als onderwerp en het komt ook om bij diezelfde DB te blijven 'niet authentiek' over. Het irriteert.
Dat geldt ook voor wanneer de auteur probeert met voorbeelden uit haar eigen leven te komen of het onderwerp te koppelen aan de actualiteit. Die delen leiden af van de kern en voegen onvoldoende toe om de interesse vast te houden. Die delen heb ik ook al vrij snel grotendeels diagonaal lezend overgeslagen.
De Beauvoir's werk heeft in ieder geval voldoende interesse gewekt om een dezer dagen De Tweede Sekse en een biografie over Simone te gaan lezen.
August 21, 2022
Enjoyable and easy read, making philosophy applicable to everyday life. Masterfully tackles the question of how to live a humanly flourishing life. Clear insights on Beauvoir's thoughts. Wish there were more citations on primary sources. Particularly enjoyed the part on the similarities and differences between Sartre and Beauvoir on authenticity, and on authentic friendship. The link between Aristotle's conception of friendship and Beauvoir's authentic friend is a good one.
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