Whenever I’d thought about the Nora Ephron-ism “Everything is copy,” I’d thought about turning my personal lemons into lemonade: a bad breakup, a crappy concert, the time a mouse got trapped in my apartment and I hid in my kitchen until a friend came to rescue me, and so on.
I never imagined that “the copy” of my first book would be inspired by the unfulfilled promise of our first woman president—and the subsequent rise of a women-led resistance. I would so much rather live in a world where Hillary Clinton was president and I hadn’t written a book. And yet . . . here we are. Since I can’t create an alternate reality, and I did, somehow, manage to write a book, I must thank all of the very brilliant people who helped make it happen.
Eva Hill, there is no better collaborator than you. Your talent is unparalleled, and you brought joy, light, and life to my words. You are also one of the most positive, kind people I’ve ever encountered. Thank goodness for your warmth and patience. Somehow you never got annoyed at me and Emma when we sent you yet another email. Basically, you’re an angel.
Emma Brodie, this project would quite literally not have happened without you. You told me to write a book for years—and for years I laughed in your face and made excuses. I am so damn happy that when I finally did work up the courage to commit to a project like this, it was with you as my copilot. You shaped Girl’s Guide from a collection of thoughts into an actual (and hopefully fairly coherent!) book. You are a beautiful editor and an equally beautiful friend.
Of course, I need to thank my incredible team at HarperCollins. Leah Carlson-Stanisic and Mumtaz Mustafa, you made Girl’s Guide beautiful, on the literal inside and out. Libby Collins and Molly Waxman, thank you so much for fielding all of my phone calls and emails, and for helping me make sure this book reaches the audience it is intended for. Special thanks to Susan Kosko, Jeanie Lee, Cassie Jones, Jennifer Hart, and Liate Stehlik. Words cannot express what your hustle and enthusiasm on behalf of this book has meant to me.
Thank you to my family—especially my mom, dad, brother, and grandparents—for raising me to trust my own voice, listen to others, and give a fuck when I see injustice in the world. And thank you for sending me to Habonim Dror Camp Moshava, where I got to spend my formative years reading Eve Ensler and talking about social justice and meeting other kids who also grew up giving a fuck.
I have to recognize my friends and colleagues (hey there, Lady Corner!) who read early drafts, gave me invaluable feedback, made spreadsheets and playlists, fielded my anxious phone calls, took me to get a drink when I desperately needed one, shared their contacts, brainstormed ways to get the book out into the world, and filled in the gaps at work so I could actually take book leave and write this damn thing: Julie Alvin, Lena Auerbuch Anderson, Kristina Apgar, Jessie Assimon, Kate Auletta, Zeba Blay, Erin Darke, Kate Dearing, Claire Fallon, Lindsey Green, Jessica Goodman, Jenavieve Hatch, Kate Hutchison, Sami Kriegstein, Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani, Emma Mustich, Sarah Novatt, Nick Offenberg, Catherine Pearson, Liz Plank, Jess Samakow, Dana Sherne, Laura Stampler, Lauren Stephenson, Adina Tabor, Taylor Trudon, Alanna Vagianos, and Brittany Wallace. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
To the lady bosses who helped launch my career—Margaret Wheeler Johnson, Laura Schocker, Lori Leibovich, Farah Miller, Lori Fradkin, Lisa Belkin, Arianna Huffington—you made me believe that I could actually make this whole professional-writer thing work.
A special shout-out to The Wing and its cofounder Audrey Gelman (and all of the Wing women who chatted with me during my long writing days) for giving me a magical space to do my writing in. I think I might have curled into a ball and given up halfway through if I hadn’t been working from the most delightful place in all of New York City, surrounded by a coven of inspiring women.
Finally, a massive thank-you to all of the incredible women who spoke to me for this book. You are my greatest inspiration, and your trailblazing work is the reason we can all still get up in the morning and soldier on in the face of unthinkable darkness. And to all of the women of yesterday who dedicated their lives to creating opportunities for the girls and women of today, I am forever in your debt and will spend my life trying to make you proud.