WALL STREET JOURNAL AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER • From the star of the Netflix reality series My Unorthodox Life, 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. “Through her poignant memoir, Julia Haart shows readers that it’s the journey rather than the destination that will fulfill us. Written with great intensity and rare candor, Brazen is a story of longing for more and manifesting that vision. While deeply personal, it reveals universal truths about humanity and womanhood. . . . An irresistible read.” —Tommy Hilfiger “Julia Haart is a hustler. Her story is an inspiring, believe-in-your-dreams, never-give-up, anything-in-life-is-possible story of hope. She is a very smart businesswoman who also loves women! Run, don’t walk, to get this book!” —Lisa Rinna “Julia Haart lives her life with an exhilarating fervor that’s contagious to anyone lucky enough to be around her. Never willing to accept the status quo, she has time and again fought for her place in the world and demanded her seat at the table. As a woman and business owner, I’m incredibly inspired by her stories, which are always told with candor, honesty, and heart. This book is a must-read!” —Coco Rocha Julia Haart is the CEO, co-owner, and chief creative officer of Elite World Group, the world’s first talent media agency, which is composed of forty-eight global agencies representing the most dynamic and culturally connected talent in the world. She was previously the creative director of the Italian luxury intimates brand La Perla and launched her career as a designer with her namesake shoe collection. Haart is the star of the Netflix docuseries My Unorthodox Life . She lives in New York City. Chapter One Our lineage is the ultimate prequel to our lives. To truly understand oneself, you must understand your history, the intricate thoughts and lives that brought yours into existence. My parents come from Russian “royalty.” On my father’s side, my grandfather, a decorated general in the Russian army during World War II, was a very influential Communist after the war. When my father was nineteen, he was named head of the Komsomol (the young-­adult arm of the Communist Party). My mother too had some helpful lineage. Her mother was a ballerina in the Bolshoi Ballet, and her dad was an inventor who created a chemical that restored old photos. Her family lived in Bender, Moldova, in the largest house in the center of the city. Sometimes Moldova was part of Romania, and sometimes it was part of the Soviet Union, and my grandfather managed, by some miraculous wrangling, to get a patent for his invention in a country that neither allowed personal business initiative nor recognized individual accomplishment. Yet, somehow, he did it.