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From Prada to poverty-one woman's harrowing and hilarious journey
Ex-model Hogan Gorman was living the typical New York working actor's life-auditions and classes by day, waitressing and fending off handsy customers by night-when a wise (or just crazy) friend convinced her to ask the universe for a change. And she got one-coming at her at forty miles per hour. Hit by a car and suffering debilitating injuries, and with no health insurance, the fashionista attempts to bounce back into her (thrift store-purchased) Jimmy Choos even as she deals with short-term memory loss, stalker ambulance drivers, trying to stay vegan on food stamps, crazy judges, hot doctors, and unsympathetic government workers.
Inspired by her acclaimed one-woman show, this is a bitingly funny and keenly observed account of the cracks in our medical and social welfare system and how one woman's resilience combined with a generous dollop of humor helped her fight her way to recovery.
Prologue 1
1 Be Careful What You Wish for 9
2 Oh, How the Mighty Have Fallen... Now That's Just Cruel 26
3 Marijuana Mama and Mary Jane 50
4 Sex: The Final Frontier 67
5 As If Being a Blonde Isn't Challenging Enpugh 81
6 This Is My Pee Cup 96
7 Paris Hilton, the Food Stamp Vegan 115
8 Crazy Juice, My Hip-Hop Knight, and Labeled "Disabled" 133
9 There Is No Fault; I'm Just the Public Assistance Crier 157
10 A Girl's Guide to What to Wear to the Welfare Office 177
11 Blanche DuLaw 194
12 Gandhi Land Diaries 219
Afterthought 247
Acknowledgments 257
Anonymous
Posted September 3, 2012
Inspiring story of the power of positive thinking and an i can do attitude
Anonymous
Posted July 2, 2012
Hogan Gorman has done an amazing job of recounting her accident and spiritual journey back to life. A very fast moving story line and a stuning sense of humor. Loved it.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 21, 2012
This book should be required reading. For high school students, for anyone old enough to vote, for church book clubs, anyone interested in humanity and the healthcare system - basically everyone. Hogan has a story to tell, and she does it well. The topic might sound macabre, but Hogan tells it like it is, with aplomb, although shocking at times. Many people feel the government already takes care of the disabled or poor, but when you understand what it is like on a day-by-day basis, or even sometimes hour-by-hour, you cannot deny our country's healthcare system needs fixing.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 10, 2012
Must read for anyone who thinks this could never happen to me! I wish I had paid more for the book to contribute to Hogans continuing life journey. Our circumstances are so similar. YES a food stamp receipient has the gall to own a nook!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Urania60
Posted March 26, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. The author's story is compelling, and her story telling style is easy to read. I was *SO* impressed by her personal strength. She was able to fight pain, set goals, and push through. Very inspiring and educational.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted March 19, 2012
This book made me thank god that i could stand up and stretch after i finished reading it.. Well done, establishing a quick camaraderie with the reader as she tells the tale.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.jennabelle27
Posted March 6, 2012
I Also Recommend:
I read this book in two days (in two sittings), so that has to mean something right? I know that I am an exceptionally fast reader, but I think that this book will be a quick read for anyone who picks it up. The writing is straightforward, and Hogan Gorman's story is certainly original. Even though things get tough and dark in her life, Gorman sees the humor and made me laugh out loud more than once. The book is also scarily informative about the workings of social services in New York City...it could serve as a how to guide for anyone who finds him or herself in a similar situation. Having read the book, I wouldn't wish that on anyone. I know many people aren't inclined to feel pity for a tall, blonde former model, but I don't think Gorman wrote the book to pull at people's heartstrings for her own sake. I think it was written to entertain and inform and get people who wouldn't normally pick up a book on the health care system to consider its noticeable shortcomings.
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Overview
From Prada to poverty-one woman's harrowing and hilarious journey
Ex-model Hogan Gorman was living the typical New York working actor's life-auditions and classes by day, waitressing and fending off handsy customers by night-when a wise (or just crazy) friend convinced her to ask the universe for a change. And she got one-coming at her at forty miles per hour. Hit by a car and suffering debilitating injuries, and with no health insurance, the fashionista attempts to bounce back ...