Unstoppable in Stilettos

Such an inspirational story of persevering through challenges and disability. Lauren is an incredible advocate who anyone can learn the life lessons of bravery, courage, and self-love from.

The picture of success is on the cover of this enthusiastic and positive memoir. Lauren Tuotolo is our “guide to living tall in a small world.” She has an exciting career at the peak of entertainment PR, and yes, she’s only 4’2”. A small part of her story is that she has a rare genetic disease. The tall part of her tale is she strapped on her stilettos and created an exciting life- and she’s sharing her wisdom and skills with us.

In each chapter of this upbeat and snappy book, the author begins with Lauren’s Lesson and then uses her life to show us how it’s done. Get ready for the “top ten things I find unforgettable”, “refuse to be anyone but yourself”, and “the road might be tough, but that’s no excuse for sitting on the curb.” What’s the most important thing you can do for yourself? Her answer- “love yourself”. Now, Ms. Tuotolo began to figure this all out when she was five!

What a great book to give yourself. You will enjoy the author’s stories and her energy! Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for a review copy. This is my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and BooksGoSocial in exchange for an honest review

Description

How does a girl who was told she would spend her life in a wheelchair become confident and successful? She decides to become unstoppable! Standing 4 feet 2 inches tall, Lauren Ruotolo was told at a young age that she was destined for life in a wheelchair because of a rare genetic disorder called McCune-Albright syndrome. Lauren didn’t accept this news, and decided to flip the script. She ditched the wheelchair for her preferred mode of transportation: stilettos. She threw out the “disabled” label in favour of authentic self discovery. And she turned her small stature into a big, beautiful life full of love, joy and success.

My thoughts

Unstoppable in Stilettos is Ruotolo’s story of how she not only comes to terms with everything her disability means but also how she thrives because of it.

I requested this ARC because I have a disability. I have hydrocephalus, which affects my mobility and my spatial awareness amongst other things. When I was younger, I was told (as Ruotolo was) that I would more than likely spend life in a wheelchair. Doctors didn’t expect me to walk, talk or do things that other children were doing. Of course, somehow, I proved the doctors, my parents and myself wrong and did all those things and more. Despite my triumphs, I feel like – aside from doctors appointments and the fact that I can openly discuss my disability with my family – navigating a disability (especially one that I don’t know anyone else who has it!) is like walking down a lonely road. Reading about someone having similar struggles to me was like having someone to guide me down the lonely road, and it made me feel a little less lonely.

Ruotolo’s narrative is factual, but you’re not bogged down by the detail. I liked the fact that she told us so much about her disability, how it affected her and those closest to her and how – at least at first – things weren’t all sunshine and rainbows. She takes us through her birth, to her childhood, to her teenage years right through to the present day. Her tone feels conversational and friendly, so much so – by the end of her story – I felt as if I was reading a book written by an old friend.

Ruotolo blends a variety of stories into this book, from the downright embarrassing (think the incident with the dog and her crutches) to the utterly hilarious (imagine being remembered by a rapper after all that time!), to show how her disability has impacted her life and also how she’s dealt with everything with an air of confidence.

Even though Ruotolo’s story is about her, she weaves in advice for the reader throughout the book, so it feels like a memoir with a bit of self help mixed in. She gives the reader advice on dressing well, dealing with hardships, romance, friendships and much more. I couldn’t help myself highlighting various sections on my Kindle.

Unstoppable in Stilettos is a story full of authenticity, self-love and being proud of who you are. At a time when everything’s a bit up in the air, this book was the perfect antidote. Funny, sassy but gut-wrenchingly real.

Again, I just want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the ARC.

Unstoppable in Stilettos will be published on 5th December 2020.

Lauren Ruotolo is one spirited and animated woman. She is strong, stubborn, and feisty, the best part is she made me laugh even tho her life has not been the easiest. I was motivated from this book made me smile after reading and look at life a little differently.

This book feels like sitting down for coffee with your best friend. It’s warm and comforting and funny and sad all wrapped into one and full of wit and wisdom that can only come from someone who has grown up with struggles that have never held her back. As she says herself she does not ever accept the word no and that’s how this book feels. It’s open and honest and has put a smile on my face I only wish I could walk in stilettos but I’m unsteady enough on my feet without adding to the issue lol (sorry Lauren).

I deeply appreciated the opportunity to read and review this book. I'll be using it's contents in my teaching and will make sure to keep an eye out for more works from this author and publisher.

Lauren Ruotolo is a person who deserves tremendous respect - with her challenges, she really did achieve a lot, and her point of view is incredibly positive and strong. She is really very inspiring and seems to be an amazing person.

Despite the fact that most of us haven't suffered such challenges as Lauren has, however, her outlook might not be for everyone. Lauren seems to be an extremely tough person, raised to be such by incredibly supportive parents and hard challenges who made her that way early on, as formative experiences. Those of us who may not have had strong allies as we were forming our personalities, may find it much harder to keep a stiff upper lip as Lauren does through all sorts of hardship, or the will to keep going.

This is why I don't think most of the stuff Lauren lives by is something I can live by myself, unfortunately. I believe a part of that is also because she's American, and the life and work ethic and also what's normal about it in the States is very different from how we think of it in Europe, particularly the Scandinavian work and life balance that's being more and more recognized. While I agree that Lauren has achieved great and truly amazing things, I don't know if that life is for everyone, and I also don't know if every and any kind of personality can just as simply adopt the Polyanna attitude that "nothing will break you", because we are all very different, and we deal with things differently (for example, a lot of the stuff works out for Lauren the way it does is because she's extroverted - it's very different for introverts, and I don't believe there's anything wrong with being an introvert - we should all be who we are). More than that, Lauren was blessed with knowing exactly what she wanted out of life and how she wanted it - and it seems that most of us are not, and that's the primary reason many of us don't do anything 'grand' - and there's nothing wrong with that either. Plain, simple lives have plenty of value too - I don't believe everyone should be some sort of superstar or guru of their industry. That's not how it works. I also don't believe we should all be high achievers. That's the difference between the US and European view. We value quality of life much more than some career achievements. Your life isn't the sum of your jobs.

Lauren also goes on about how important it is to be, and to aim to be unforgettable - but as an introvert, I'm not sure I agree. I don't want to stand out - I can think of nothing worse than always being the center of attention (although my work often calls for me to be that). That's one thing extroverts never understand about introverts, and they mistake quietness and 'preferring to stay behind the scenes' for 'is afraid and is unhappy'. Being unforgettable and the star of the show isn't everyone's ambition, and it's alright if it isn't. Stars need an audience to be stars. Let people be the audience. It doesn't make you inherently 'less valuable' if you'd prefer the stay in the audience.

Despite that, Lauren does give some compassionate, smart advice about how to care less about people who are essentially making your life harder (I especially applaud all she said about dating and your love life! So many things every woman should know, regardless of how she looks or how popular she is, I feel like we all fall for so many of the same things in dating.) There are certainly things you can learn from her experience, and like I said, I have nothing but respect for this amazing person. Her passion for life is quite unbelievable, and very inspiring. I am happy to have read her life story - to be able to see a person make a brilliant life for herself, despite the obstacles, is always really wholesome.

One of my favorite things Lauren teaches about rejection, is this: "Just because someone cannot see the obvious talents you possess doesn't mean they're not there." That is certainly a thing to keep in mind, and I'll leave this review with that vibe.

I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.

Unstoppable in Stilettos
A Girl's Guide to Living Tall in a Small World
by Lauren Ruotolo
BooksGoSocial
Biographies & Memoirs | Entertainment
Pub Date 05 Dec 2020


I am reviewing a copy of Unstoppable in Stiletto’s through BooksGoSocial and Netgalley:



Despite having a rare condition called McCune-Albright syndrome that doctors said would mean she would spend her life in a wheelchair Lauren had other plans, she was going to be confident and successful. Lauren refused to live the life the doctors had set out before her and instead she decided to flip the script. She ditched the wheelchair for her preferred method of transportation: stilettos. She threw out the “disabled” label in favor of authentic self-discovery. And she turned her small stature into a big, beautiful life full of love, joy and success.




In this book Lauren reminds us that as people we are not meant to fit into labels, labels are best reserved for clothing, and products.




Lauren talks about the lessons she has learned on this journey, and about how she has learned to live large despite life’s obstacles. From her unique, upward-facing vantage point, she shares tips, secrets and hard-earned wisdom.





If you are a woman who is wanting to take on today’s hectic world, and find success Lauren’s fun, offbeat life philosophies will give you the tools you need to carve your own unique path to self-confidence, happiness, and success—no matter what obstacles you face, and you’ll have a great time along the way!



I give Unstoppable in Stilettos five out of five stars!


Happy Birthday!