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Title details for Brazen by Julia Haart - Available

Brazen

My Unorthodox Journey from Long Sleeves to Lingerie

by Julia Haart
Julia Haart
Audiobook (Includes supplementary content)
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
A riveting, inspiring memoir of one woman’s escape from an extremist religious sect and an extraordinary rise from housewife to shoe designer, to CEO and co-owner of the modeling agency Elite World Group
“An irresistible read . . . Written with great intensity and rare candor, Brazen is a story of longing for more and manifesting that vision.”—Tommy Hilfiger
Ever since she was a child, every aspect of Julia Haart’s life—what she wore, what she ate, what she thought—was controlled by the dictates of ultra-Orthodox Judaism. At nineteen, after a lifetime spent caring for her seven younger siblings, she was married off to a man she barely knew. For the next twenty-three years, her marriage would rule her life. Eventually, when Haart’s younger daughter, Miriam, started to innocently question why she wasn’t allowed to sing in public, run in shorts, or ride a bike without being covered from neck to knee, Haart reached a breaking point. She knew that if she didn’t find a way to leave, her daughters would be forced into the same unending servitude that had imprisoned her.
So Haart created a double life. In the ultra-Orthodox world, clothing has one purpose—to cover the body, head to toe—and giving any thought to one’s appearance beyond that is considered sinful, an affront to God. But when no one was looking, Haart would pore over fashion magazines and sketch designs for the clothes she dreamed about wearing in the world beyond her Orthodox suburb. She started preparing for her escape by educating herself and creating a “freedom” fund. At the age of forty-two, she finally mustered the courage to flee the fundamentalist life that was strangling her soul.
Within a week of her escape, Haart founded a shoe brand, and within nine months, she was at Paris Fashion Week. Just a few years later, she was named creative director of La Perla. Soon she would become co-owner and CEO of Elite World Group, and one of the most powerful people in the fashion industry. Along the way, her four children—Batsheva, Shlomo, Miriam, and Aron—have not only accepted but embraced her transformation.
Propulsive and unforgettable, Haart’s story is the journey from a world of no to a world of yes, and an inspiration for women everywhere to find their freedom, their purpose, and their voice.
*Includes a downloadable PDF containing photos and end notes from the book

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    April 12, 2022

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780593558515
      • File size: 552768 KB
      • Duration: 19:11:35

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Library Journal

      September 1, 2022

      Haart's narration of her gripping and jaw-dropping memoir is so relaxed and intimate that rather than reading, she sounds like she's chatting with friends. She not only tells her tale but also patiently explains the customs of the oppressive ultra-Orthodox religious world she escaped. Early on, she explains that her Netflix reality TV series My Unorthodox Life "is about my present defined by my past. Brazen, however, is my whole story as I remember it." And what a story! The first two-thirds of this 19-hour unabridged audiobook detail Haart's upbringing in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Monsey, New York, where she was raised to follow tznius. "It means 'modesty, but it doesn't just mean modest clothes," Haart says. "It means being totally unseen and never being special or exceptional in any way." Married at 19 to a man she barely knew, she soon had four children. More than two decades later and after months of contemplating suicide, she escaped the fundamentalist community. She was 42. The audiobook ends before she marries her second husband and became CEO and co-owner of Elite World Group, the talent-management company. VERDICT A compelling story, well told by Haart in a friendly and ingratiating manner.--Kevin Howell

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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