12 May 2011 04:25:07
"Normal Gets You Nowhere" is her follow-up to 2010's "If You Have to Cry, Go Outside: And Other Things Your Mother Never Told You." Both are designed to help young women navigate through a tough world.
Cutrone wants women to live outside the box, citing Eleanor Roosevelt, Joan of Arc and Amelia Earhart as examples of women who weren't afraid to jump headfirst into their fates.
Cutrone was once addicted to drugs and close to rock bottom. She speaks of becoming a young mother and of all the complications of being a single mom, especially one who doesn't fall into the category of being normal.
She also explains how to live a good life — and be happy in it. She tells her own story to show how deciding to change, and then following through, can lead to great things. She recommends having a small group of very close confidants, and then sharing everything with them.
"Normal" is full of advice for young women. However, Cutrone devotes many pages writing about her religious beliefs, including finding a guru and the "Divine Mother." While these chapters don't ruin the book, she spends too long trying to back up her beliefs with stories that are a little too much.
