❝ No matter what obstacles life throws our way, we all have the power to be authors of our own stories. ❞

What Would Frida Do is a contemporary guide to life, love and happiness about Frida Kahlo who was a badass feminist icon who was way ahead of her times! I enjoyed the chapter endings which highlighted “What Frida Would Do” in different scenarios. The snippets of Frida’s notes and letters gave further insight of Frida’s inner thoughts behind her paintings. She lived a very fascinating life! It was more biographical than I was expecting. I knew a fair amount about Frida’s life prior to reading this and the facts did overlap in some chapters so it was repetitive at times. Frida’s vibrant paintings were described wonderfully. I just wish the book included pictures. I often had to stop reading to Google paintings which interrupted my reading. Overall, it was pretty good and enjoyed learning more about Frida’s life.

If you know a fair amount about Frida then you may not gain much from reading this. If you do not know much about Frida then I recommend reading this. VIVA LA VIDA! Live your truth! Thank you @NetGalley for the ARC eBook in return for an honest review.

Do you know about Frida Kahlo? Frida Kahlo is a Mexican painter (1907-1954). She rose to fame in recent years, which her fans refer to as Fridomania.

What would Frida do? By @ariannagab is about Frida Kahlo and the lessons we can learn from her. The book discusses several aspects of Frida Kahlo’s life, her teenage years, her accidents which have made her bed-ridden for most of her life, her tumultuous marriage to another famous painter, Diego, and her candid paintings.

Frida Kahlo was a feminist well before her time and was not afraid of the opinions of the world. Her paintings were touching and unabashed. She painted about her inability to have children, the infidelity of her husband, and the many operations she had that left her broken in body but strong in spirit.

A few things I learned from this book were to be a living and breathing piece of art. Frida dressed with great care and stuck to her Mexican origins. She had many good friends who supported her in times of need and gave her advice in tough life situations. The greatest thing about Frida is that she refused to wallow in self-pity about her failing body, and turned to art. The only thing I did not understand is why she fiercely loved her promiscuous husband. After looking at Diego’s affairs, Frida also had affairs. They got divorced and remarried again.

A few sections of the book were repetitive. It is a great read for Frida lovers. Thank you to @netgalley, @basicbooks, and @perseus_books for the eARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

Category: adult non-fiction
Publication Year: 2020

Arianna did a wonderful job vividly describing her experience sort of re-discovering Frida. Her surprising stories and comparisons can be relevant to anyone's life. I really appreciate the new stories that I did not know about Frida.

This one was a pure joy - #history #biography #selfhelp (but the fun, short and sweet kind) and a whole lot of #girlpower. I have always adored #FridaKahlo - I think she’s stunningly beautiful - but now I’m in awe of her. 

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This book serves as part biography, telling the story of the life and legacy of Frida Kahlo, from her childhood until her death and the absolute cult level fandom and legacy she inspired. Weaved in with this, the author provides ten life lessons we can take away from the life and persona of Frida, to live lives that are more bold, meaningful, and passionate. This one is so much fun - if you can’t tell by the cover. 

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Whether or not your artistic tastes favor Frida’s work, her life in itself is a story worth reading. A woman who suffered massive injuries and lifelong surgeries and illnesses, starting with polio, continuing to the tragic bus accident that left her impaled by a pole, barely alive, and unable to bear children, and ending with pulmonary embolism that eventually killed her, her toughness, grit, and ability to cope through her paintings should inspire us all to fight through pain, both physical and emotional. Her rocky marriage with Diego Rivera, a man know for his career infidelity, is both a story of forgiveness, passionate, undeniable love, and ultimate acceptance and happiness in an unorthodox marriage. Her friendships, her lovers, her art, her communism, her drinking, her fashion - an icon worth studying and admiring for her audacity, her ability to be far ahead of her times, and her unapologetic, unwavering ability to be herself.

I absolutely loved this book and think it would make for a great present to give. I wish I'd read it in book form rather than kindle as I feel it would be a lovely coffee table book and the pictures and chapters would look better in hard copy.

My one issue was that there was a lot of repetition. If you read it in separate chapters at a time it probably wouldn't matter so much if you dipped in and out but I read it in a few chapters at a time and it was so repetitive. You almost need the chapters split up into different art works rather than love, relationships etc as a lot of the chapters start by saying the exact same art work as you've just read about which is a shame. 

However I will be recommending this book and give it 4 stars.

What would Frida do was a great novel based on Frida's life in overcoming the difficult obstacles of her life.

Frida Kahlo truly is iconic... not just because of her art but her life! Even a person like myself who is not very familiar with her artwork and paintings knows who she is because of the person she was and the life that she lived. She did not live a charmed life....not by a long shot! The kind of cards that life dealt her with--being stricken by polio, a horrendous bus accident that almost destroyed her body and the lifelong physical pain she had to live with--it would make any other person give up but she did not and that is what makes her an icon and an inspiration. 

What Would Frida Do? provides an overview of her life and art works through which she brought forth her love for her Mexican heritage, her strong political views, her turbulent love and married life and her own definition of feminine beauty. Every chapter describes an aspect of her life that made her into the woman and icon she became. I only feel some pictures of Frida's artwork and her personal photographs could have been included with the text.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Perseus Books/Basic Books and the author Arianna Davis for the e-Arc of the book.

The book was published on 20th October 2020.

This book is playful and inspiring. I have already sold this book several times at work-- and will continue to do so. Compelling and motivating, this book is great for personal growth shelves everywhere.

I've read quite a few books about Frida (she's by far my fave artist), so I was uncertain that there would be any new angles to be taken that haven't been done a million times before. "What Would Frida Do?" was a pleasant surprise. Although there are biographical descriptions of her life, Arianna Davis has injected some fun and fresh ideas by framing the book with how to use Frida as an inspiration for living a fierce, bold, and inspiring life.

I loved how each section focused on a particular area of Frida's life and described ways that a person can get inspiration from Frida to live out their dreams. My only complaint was that some of the information about Frida tended to get a little repetitive because the book wasn't written in a linear way. I would have loved more insight into her artwork as well, instead of a focus on her romantic life.

Overall, I would recommend this book to any Frida fans and, in particular, to young women who want a fun look at a revolutionary artist who can teach them how to live up to their potential.

For Frida lovers and newcomers to her fascinating world alike. As you read you can feel the love and dedication that went into creating this work. Some information was a bit repetitive but that just made it stand out and stick in my head so I found it helpful. I learned some new things about Frida and found this to be a quick, inspiring, entertaining read. 4.5 stars rounded to 5.

“Viva La Vida!” 

Thank you to Arianna Davis, Perseus Books, Basic Books, and #NetGallery for an eARC of #WhatWouldFridaDo? in exchange for an honest review. Review will be posted on NetGallery, Goodreads, and Facebook.

If you are a fan of Kahlo’s art (and let’s be honest, who isn’t??) I know that you will enjoy this book. 

The author looks at Frida’s life from so many angles: her creativity, disabilities, sexuality, fashion, revolutionary ideals, marriage to Diego Rivera, Mexican heritage, and many more. Then at the end of each chapter, there are several ideas of what YOU can do to emulate Kahlo’s ambition and joie de vivre in your own life.

There are so many things that I found interesting about this book, especially the way the author relates so many experiences in Kahlo’s life directly to a certain painting. It gives such insight into her mind and creative process. 

I also had zero clue that Kahlo suffered from multiple disabilities. She was terribly and almost fatally injured by being hit by a bus when she was a teenager and her body never quite recovered. She also dealt with fertility issues that cause her deep sadness, which she featured in much of her artwork. 

One of the biggest themes that I get from this book is that Kahlo faces obstacles head-on all while maintaining a zest for life. She housed revolutionaries in her home, loved her nieces, nephews, and godchildren, painted through the pain of multiple miscarriages, was ahead of her time as a queer and feminist icon, and my favorite - attended an exhibition of her work in her actual bed when her doctors pronounced her “bed-ridden” when her health was failing. 

I’ve always loved Kahlo’s paintings and her iconic style, but I have such a newfound respect for her life and everything she stood for. Folks, definitely give this book a read.

Frida is fierce and she is compelling, both for her art and the life she lead. It is obvious why she is a Feminist Icon. Reading this book made me remember why I like her so much. She stands as herself and is not ashamed or embarrassed by that. 

I have a Frida T-Shirt and just purchased her 500 Piece Puzzle. Can’t wait to get started. Reading this book , reignited my excitement for this bold women. 

I recommend this book for all women, but especially for the new generation of young women who may not know her story and life. Frida is an icon and I think there will always be a passion for her. 

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I will live reviews both on Amazon and Goodreads in the next couple of days as the book is just coming out.

I described this book to my partner as "How to not pursue non-monogamy" because with how much focus is placed on Frida and Diego's, love? marriage? scandals?
It really does show a powerful image on how not to pursue a non-monogamous relationship, because while we see the letters they wrote between each other, it feels like in reality they weren't communicating what they needed with each other openly and honestly.

In all other parts not strictly about Diego and Frida, I found this book incredibly intriguing. This book seems to make a combo of biography and self-help book that I have never seen and found super interesting.

I've had an interest in Frida Kahlo since taking classes in college for my Spanish minor, when I was introduced to Latin American history and art. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book based on the title, but I was curious.

This is the author's first book, and while it was well-written, it felt like it could have been several long blog posts. Perhaps that was because of the casual writing tone that alternated between adoration and frivolous. 

This is not really about Frida's advice to us but about the author's interpretation of what is known about Frida's life and how that can be construed as advice to live as she did, so the author made presumptions about what Frida might have told us today. I may be too old for the desired effect as I thought the "guide to living boldly" was not very original, but I appreciated how she tied it to Kahlo's life. 

At the same time, it seemed somewhat repetitive. Yes, we know that she had that accident. Yes, we know she had same-sex relationships. Yes, you already told us about Diego's affairs. While it was probably a constraint of copyright or other rules, the biographical information would have been more effective with photos of the artwork and/or persons involved.

While I was underwhelmed at the overall book, I did enjoy reading about Frida Kahlo. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

I thought this was such a great biography with a combination of self help book. I think that Arianna Davis did such a great with her research and how then taking different aspects of Frida's life and how somebody today can be more like her or finding the best in themselves and embraces their own identity and be very proud of it.

As the title suggests, this book is a tribute to Frida Kahlo by the author, Arianna Davis. 

Frida was a woman who lived "ahead of her own time", and so, so much of what she did in her life, is still relevant today, and we could look at her life and learn from her. 

I am a big Frida enthusiast so I was delighted to receive an e-ARC of this book. This was an interesting spin to put on Frida, and it is so true that she is a great role model. Thank you #netgalley for this e-ARC in return for my honest review.#5stars

I am so glad that I have had the opportunity to see a Frida exhibit, because that made everything about this book more meaningful to me.  Whether or not you have any background knowledge about Frida Kahlo though, you will be fascinated by the story of her unique and amazing life.

I very much enjoyed how factual the book is, although it is not what I expected!  Honestly I this gave me more biography vibes than self-help vibes.  As a self-help book it was a fun and interesting read but I didn't necessarily walk away with many ideas for self improvement.  I thought it was more of a compelling introduction for those looking to learn more about the artist, and I would recommend to anyone who enjoys biographies, art, or Frida Kahlo!

3.75

It was cool to get the history of Frida, I knew a little about but the book have more details... About the advices, some are cool some other might not but it's an interesting book, specially if you want to know more about Frida

If there is anyone we should be taking life lessons from, Frida Kahlo is definitely one of them. From life’s hardships and heartbreaks to being unapologetically who ever you want to be Frida Kahlo proved to us that we can and we should.

This book is a great mix of both biography and self-help. It delves into the complicated life of the artist and really gives readers a deeper understanding of who she was and what we might take away from her own experiences.

A fascinating look at Frida her philosophy of life the way she lived to her own beat.This is also a self help guide with great ideas to live a fulfilling life whose path we choose.Well written informative entertaining highly recommend,#netgalley#sealbooks