Nice Girls Don't Win

Nice Girls Don't Win

How I Burned It All Down to Claim My Power

About the Book

“A bible for badass women.”—SARAH MICHELLE GELLAR

“Gripping and liberating.”—ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again

Survivor legend and gay icon, Parvati Shallow has won my heart all over again.”—BOWEN YANG

A bold, eye-opening memoir about survival, trauma, and healing, from one of reality television’s most talked-about stars


At twenty-five years old, Parvati Shallow was plunged into fame and fortune after becoming the million-dollar winner of the reality television series Survivor. But despite her success, the ghosts of her traumatic past, coupled with the harsh glare of the public eye, kept her locked in a survival cycle of fear and shame that sabotaged her self-confidence and eroded her self-trust. It wasn’t until a series of painful life events, including the death of her younger brother and a challenging divorce, that she found herself on a path of healing that would awaken her true power and reset the course of her life.

In Nice Girls Don’t Win, Shallow shares the stories that allowed her to transform her most difficult moments into potent catalysts for empowerment. From her childhood growing up in a Florida commune run by a tyrannical female guru, to her journey out of the South and into the L.A. casting rooms that would eventually drop her in the lush but brutal landscapes of Survivor, Shallow shows readers what it took to build herself into the ultimate survivor—for better and, more often, for worse. She then reveals what it took to rebuild herself into something much greater.

As harrowing as it is healing, Parvati Shallow’s story is a testament to the profound lessons that can be found in radical self-acceptance and self-love.
Read more
Close

Praise for Nice Girls Don't Win

Nice Girls Don’t Win is a bible for badass women. Smart, fearless, bold, and intimate, Parvati Shallow’s writing is a revelation and a rallying cry.”—Sarah Michelle Gellar, actor and star of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

“Parvati Shallow is the greatest player in Survivor history, but her book is not just for fans of reality TV. It’s a gripping and liberating read for anyone who’s ever been so desperate to please others that they’ve lost sight of themselves.”—Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Potential and Think Again

Survivor legend and gay icon, Parvati Shallow has won my heart all over again. This memoir blew me away.”—Bowen Yang, SNL cast member and co-host of Las Culturistas

Nice Girls Don’t Win is just like the woman who wrote it: honest, edgy, and irresistible.”—Matt Rogers, co-host of Las Culturistas

Nice Girls Don’t Win is an expansive, beautiful memoir that’s fiercely feminist and radically honest. . . . A must-read for anyone looking to find their own path to healing and self-acceptance.”—Tara Schuster, author of Glow in the F*cking Dark

“Shocking, insightful, and compulsively readable, this book is for every woman who has been called a villain for having the audacity to not just survive but to win on her own terms. I can’t stop raving about it.” —Lyz Lenz, New York Times bestselling author of This American Ex-Wife

“Shallow’s bravery on the page is raw and revelatory. At its core, this is a book about letting go: the most courageous act of all. I’m in awe.”—Rebecca Woolf, author of All of This: A Memoir of Death and Desire

“Parvati Shallow is a glorious concoction of fluidity. She manages to be endearing but ensnaring, aloof yet vulnerable, sugar and spice. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us.”—Alan Cumming, actor and host of Peacock’s The Traitors

Survivor champions all have some sort of intangible ‘it factor,’ and out of those, there is a handful that stand above the rest. This book tells the compelling story behind the obstacles and difficulties she overcame in her personal life to become the competitor the world has come to both fear and love”—Joe Manganiello, actor and host of Deal or No Deal: Island

“Parvati proves that the will and strength that led her to her Survivor victory was anything but a fluke, but rather a marker in a journey toward self-enlightenment.”—Evan Ross Katz, entertainment journalist
Read more
Close

About the Author

Parvati Shallow
Parvati Shallow is a mother, winner and five-time competitor of the hit TV series Survivor, and breakout star of The Traitors on Peacock. She holds advanced certifications in yoga, meditation, and breathwork and is a passionate student of various healing and therapeutic modalities, including structural integration, Somatic Experiencing, acupuncture, nutrition, sound healing, hypnotherapy, IRF, and IFS. More by Parvati Shallow
Decorative Carat

By clicking submit, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and understand that Penguin Random House collects certain categories of personal information for the purposes listed in that policy, discloses, sells, or shares certain personal information and retains personal information in accordance with the policy. You can opt-out of the sale or sharing of personal information anytime.

Random House Publishing Group