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Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite
Becoming a Badass: From Fearful to Fierce is a brutally honest memoir from noted travel writer and film producer Margie Goldsmith. Having grown up in a dysfunctional family, the author took the first opportunity to leave that environment after graduating from college and headed to Paris. There she met and married a film director who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy years and the House Un-American Activities Committee. In Paris, she lived a glamorous lifestyle alongside many of the famous literary and film icons of the day. Eventually, she returned to the United States, divorced, and began an incredibly successful film and video production company. After another failed marriage, she threw herself into her twin passions of travel and fitness, becoming a noted magazine contributor. Despite all her success, she was challenged by serious health issues for most of her middle years, and yet, she never stopped challenging herself, trying new activities, and searching for adventure.
Becoming a Badass is a seminal reminder that nothing in life is set in stone. You have the power to change the trajectory of your life and embrace everything, the good and the bad, with the same amount of determination, grit, and indeed gratitude. Margie Goldsmith never had it easy, even from a young age, and yet she made it her goal to overcome challenges and do what was right for her. I was impressed by how she was prepared to sacrifice a comfortable lifestyle to ensure that she fulfilled her need to nourish her soul. As the wife of a high-flying lawyer to the stars, she had a life that many would envy, yet she knew that it wasn’t fulfilling her need to travel and grow as a writer and a person. That she was prepared to walk away from situations and prioritize her needs says a lot about her grit and determination. Her dedication to the Blues Harmonica and her courage to go on stage and play indicate just how self-contained and assured she was. The overarching theme of this memoir is that you never have to be satisfied with the cards that life deals you; you can change your life and be whatever you want to be. This woman is proof of that maxim. I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a little self-assurance and motivation.
