Actress Kim Cattrall—Samantha on Sex in the City—receives a lot of mail from teenage girls asking for advice on subjects such as what to wear and how to talk to boys. As it turns out, Cattrall's advice has less to do with fashion and more to do with growing up. Drawing on her own experience, Cattrall has writtenBeing a Girl (Little, Brown, Oct.), with co-writer Amy Briamonte. While rehearsing in London for David Mamet's The Cryptogram, she took a break to talk with Sally Lodge about why she wrote the book.
"Teens might think that since I have been successful, I have it made. But I wanted to rip that image away. I have made a lot of mistakes and have faced a lot of challenges and have come to terms with them the best way I could. I wish I had been easier on myself as a teen. As a result of writing this book I have a lot more empathy for young women today. They are such targets of commercialism and have so much added pressure in terms of what they are supposed to look like, what they're supposed to say.
Aside from helping readers realize that they are not alone, I hope this book teaches them the importance of love of self. I want teens to realize that they have to be really good to themselves, for if they aren't, who else will be?"
