Nice Girls Don't Win - by Parvati Shallow (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"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

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - 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.

Review Quotes

"In her memoir, Nice Girls Don't Win, [Parvati] Shallow, known for her mastery of the unbothered cool-girl archetype, reveals her messy interior. From her childhood in a controlling, new age commune to her messy divorce from a fellow Survivor contestant, she chronicles her impulse to put herself in tough situations, to keep 'surviving.'"--Bustle

"Nice Girls Don't Win is a bold book, a chronicle of survival, the obstacles that hold you back, and the dreams that usher you forward. It is also a fascinating glimpse into the life of a reality television icon millions of people have gotten to know over the past twenty-five years."--Roxane Gay, on her Substack The Audacity

"Parvati Shallow may have been shunted into a 'villain' narrative during her time on Survivor, but now she's reclaiming and telling her own story. From the very first pages of Nice Girls Don't Win . . . the reality TV star is almost discomfitingly honest about her past."--them, "Survivor Star Parvati Shallow on Being 'Fully Queer, ' Divorce, and Embracing Villainy"

"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

" 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." --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."--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

"Shallow is a charming, candid narrator, dispensing behind-the-scenes Survivor tidbits and sturdy self-love advice with equal aplomb. This is a treat for reality TV fans."--Publishers Weekly

About the Author

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.