I Carried a Watermelon: Dirty Dancing and Me
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- Create Date：2021-06-25 06:52:04
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Katy Brand
- ISBN：0008352828
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Summary
‘Massively enjoyable’ Dawn French
I Carried a Watermelon is a love letter to Dirty Dancing。 A warm， witty and accessible look at how Katy Brand’s life-long obsession with the film has influenced her own attitudes to sex， love， romance， rights and responsibilities。
It explores the legacy of the film， from pushing women’s stories to the forefront of commercial cinema， to its ‘Gold Standard’ depiction of abortion according to leading pro-choice campaigners， and its fresh and powerful take on the classic ‘coming of age’ story told from a naïve but idealistic 17-year-old girl’s point of view。
Part memoir based on a personal obsession， part homage to a monster hit and a work of genius， Katy will explore her own memories and experiences， and talk to other fans of the film， to examine its legacy as a piece of filmmaking with a social agenda that many miss on first viewing。 One of the most celebrated and viewed films ever made is about to have the time of its life。
I Carried a Watermelon is a love letter to Dirty Dancing。 A warm， witty and accessible look at how Katy Brand’s life-long obsession with the film has influenced her own attitudes to sex， love， romance， rights and responsibilities。
It explores the legacy of the film， from pushing women’s stories to the forefront of commercial cinema， to its ‘Gold Standard’ depiction of abortion according to leading pro-choice campaigners， and its fresh and powerful take on the classic ‘coming of age’ story told from a naïve but idealistic 17-year-old girl’s point of view。
Part memoir based on a personal obsession， part homage to a monster hit and a work of genius， Katy will explore her own memories and experiences， and talk to other fans of the film， to examine its legacy as a piece of filmmaking with a social agenda that many miss on first viewing。 One of the most celebrated and viewed films ever made is about to have the time of its life。
Reviews
Gill
，
Who knew that Dirty Dancing was such a classic！ Brand's enthusiasm is infectious - next time the film is on telly， I shall watch it through fresh eyes。 Who knew that Dirty Dancing was such a classic！ Brand's enthusiasm is infectious - next time the film is on telly， I shall watch it through fresh eyes。 。。。more
Kiera
，
5 stars || "I couldn't believe I had lived before Dirty Dancing。 I couldn't believe anything had mattered。" Firstly， I want to begin by saying that I listened to the audiobook and I think everyone else should too！ Hearing the fondness and excitement in Katy Brand's voice as she talks about her favourite book is heartwarming and makes the book even more enjoyable。 This book was a beautiful ode to Dirty Dancing。 The way Katy talks so passionately about the film was infectious， and I found myself a 5 stars || "I couldn't believe I had lived before Dirty Dancing。 I couldn't believe anything had mattered。" Firstly， I want to begin by saying that I listened to the audiobook and I think everyone else should too！ Hearing the fondness and excitement in Katy Brand's voice as she talks about her favourite book is heartwarming and makes the book even more enjoyable。 This book was a beautiful ode to Dirty Dancing。 The way Katy talks so passionately about the film was infectious， and I found myself appreciating the film even more because of it。 Whilst I wouldn't say it is an out-and-out memoir， there are many anecdotal stories from Katy's life interspersed in the chapters which serve as examples of just how formative this film was in her life。When she discusses the influence of Dirty Dancing on her own life， Katy goes beyond triviality。 She explores the film's class relations， its embrace of female sexuality， and its approach to abortion， and how this impacted her own personal politics and morals （even when she was an Evangelical Christian - you need to read this book！）。 I genuinely cannot sing the praises of this book enough。 I must admit， I have had the Dirty Dancing soundtrack on repeat since I began it！ 。。。more
Sam Herbert
，
This was an unexpected， massively enjoyable read。。。 If you're a fan of Dirty Dancing， you MUST READ THIS BOOK。 Self-confessed Dirty Dancing obsessive Katy Brand very cleverly picks apart the plot and the characters to reveal the true message behind Baby， Johnny and co - feminism， equality and inclusivity。 Part memoir， part love story to the film， this book completely changed the way I perceive this film， in the best way！ Hilarious and thought-provoking， I absolutely devoured this book。 This was an unexpected， massively enjoyable read。。。 If you're a fan of Dirty Dancing， you MUST READ THIS BOOK。 Self-confessed Dirty Dancing obsessive Katy Brand very cleverly picks apart the plot and the characters to reveal the true message behind Baby， Johnny and co - feminism， equality and inclusivity。 Part memoir， part love story to the film， this book completely changed the way I perceive this film， in the best way！ Hilarious and thought-provoking， I absolutely devoured this book。 。。。more
Holly Marshall
，
I picked this book up on a whim if I'm honest， I don't really know all that much about Katy Brand but I adore Dirty Dancing and the title just spoke to me。 I wanted to love this book so much and I am so glad that it pulled through for me。 I watched Dirty Dancing for the first time at a similar age to Katy and just like her can remember watching it for the first time so vividly。 Dirty Dancing has been such a huge and influential part of my life it was lovely reading of someone （a little further o I picked this book up on a whim if I'm honest， I don't really know all that much about Katy Brand but I adore Dirty Dancing and the title just spoke to me。 I wanted to love this book so much and I am so glad that it pulled through for me。 I watched Dirty Dancing for the first time at a similar age to Katy and just like her can remember watching it for the first time so vividly。 Dirty Dancing has been such a huge and influential part of my life it was lovely reading of someone （a little further on in their life） who has had similar experiences to myself and that love for Dirty Dancing being just as big in someone else。 I loved learning little tid bits about the film and filming that I hadn't known before and overall the book has made me want to go back and rewatch Dirty Dancing straight away。 If you haven't you should definitely watch Dirty Dancing and then read this book。 。。。more
Becky
，
Absolutely adored this book！ It really made me rethink the times in which it was written and filmed and has profoundly affected the way I consider my upbringing and how I want to raise my children too。 Bloody brilliant！
Liz
，
A great deal of fun and a fascinating read， might even make me watch Dirty Dancing again （it's been one heck of a long time。。） A great deal of fun and a fascinating read， might even make me watch Dirty Dancing again （it's been one heck of a long time。。） 。。。more
peppersocks
，
Reflections and lessons learned:What a great analysis of one of my favourite films of all time。。。 Prejudice， snobbery， self discovery of a young girl， and what it takes to be an honest person - all packed into 90 mins， soundtracked by energy grooving and thoughtful/ emotional songs。 For me this film first came along at such a key moment in my life。。。 and I had to watch it on Christmas Day with my Mom， Dad and Nan in a chair sinking embarrassment of watching sexy scenes and live developing a crus Reflections and lessons learned:What a great analysis of one of my favourite films of all time。。。 Prejudice， snobbery， self discovery of a young girl， and what it takes to be an honest person - all packed into 90 mins， soundtracked by energy grooving and thoughtful/ emotional songs。 For me this film first came along at such a key moment in my life。。。 and I had to watch it on Christmas Day with my Mom， Dad and Nan in a chair sinking embarrassment of watching sexy scenes and live developing a crush in youth。。。 so many memorable， and much used in my own life， quotes - I have been the misunderstood Johnny， naive and put upon Baby， messed up Penny， smug and condescending Robbie and Neil， wise and principled Jake， ditzy and confused Lisa， sitting back but stepping up Marjorie， and even late night/early morning sneaking Vivienne。。。 This book is a long love letter to the film and what great random facts！ Katy， thankyou for saving us all from the terrible Sherzinger version - RDD over FDD version any day #imwearingtheiconicfilmtshirtasiwritethis 。。。more
Louise
，
If you consider yourself a fan of Dirty Dancing， pick this up。 I listened to the audiobook while I was in the process of packing up my flat to move。 I stopped midway to eat and have a cheeky rewatch of the film。 I've lost track of how many times I've watched it now。 I think I first watched it when it was on Channel 5 when I was about 15 and fell in love instantly。 It still manages to hold up 30-odd years on。Brand weaves a fantastic analysis of the film with a memoir of how it's affected her life If you consider yourself a fan of Dirty Dancing， pick this up。 I listened to the audiobook while I was in the process of packing up my flat to move。 I stopped midway to eat and have a cheeky rewatch of the film。 I've lost track of how many times I've watched it now。 I think I first watched it when it was on Channel 5 when I was about 15 and fell in love instantly。 It still manages to hold up 30-odd years on。Brand weaves a fantastic analysis of the film with a memoir of how it's affected her life。 It's just an absolute joy to listen to。 。。。more
Gill
，
A lovely memoir， of girlhood， of obsession， of the joy of life。 This was a delight to read。 Highly recommended。
Alanna Jenkins
，
Full review here: https://theresnoenjoymentlikereading。。。。 Full review here: https://theresnoenjoymentlikereading。。。。 。。。more
Cecilie Madsen
，
As someone who was introduced to Dirty Dancing as a preteen by my mum and has loved the movie ever since， this book is A+。Although a decade or two apart， I shared a surprising number of first time viewing confusion/misunderstandings w Katy; ex。 The pregnancy and following abortion - I knew it was bad， but didn’t really understand it， which was kinda neat， I don’t know how to properly word my feelings。Also this book was （unsurprisingly） very funny， & I now know enough about the remake to know tha As someone who was introduced to Dirty Dancing as a preteen by my mum and has loved the movie ever since， this book is A+。Although a decade or two apart， I shared a surprising number of first time viewing confusion/misunderstandings w Katy; ex。 The pregnancy and following abortion - I knew it was bad， but didn’t really understand it， which was kinda neat， I don’t know how to properly word my feelings。Also this book was （unsurprisingly） very funny， & I now know enough about the remake to know that I’ll never ever ever watch it ever。 。。。more
Lesley Russell
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I am definitely not a Dirty Dancing obsessive and had only seen the film once years ago。 Three chapters into this book I had to stop reading to rewatch the film which certainly stood the test of time。 Katy Brand writes in an honest ， funny and poignant style and the book is a celebration of the film ， full of background information and gossip。 Along side this is a slice of Katys own life and how the film affected and influenced her。 Reading this was like an evening with a good friend。
Zoey Curato
，
So this was one of those impulse reads that you really regret wasting your time on。 I saw it on the 99p kindle deals and as I love dirty dancing I was super excited。 I loved the facts and tidbits that Katy reveals when she goes to visit Kellermans but my biggest problem was the fact that she was trying to link the film back to every significant moment she had growing up。 I think it was a bit far fetched and there’s only so many times you can link Baby to being a feminist icon for teen girls grow So this was one of those impulse reads that you really regret wasting your time on。 I saw it on the 99p kindle deals and as I love dirty dancing I was super excited。 I loved the facts and tidbits that Katy reveals when she goes to visit Kellermans but my biggest problem was the fact that she was trying to link the film back to every significant moment she had growing up。 I think it was a bit far fetched and there’s only so many times you can link Baby to being a feminist icon for teen girls growing up。 A bit disappointing to me and I really think I would have given it a two star has I not being such a fan of the film。 。。。more
Staceywh_17
，
Katie Brand is one of the Uk's funny ladies （comediennes） & this book didn't disappoint。 Everyone I know （including myself） fell in love with Dirty dancing when it hit our cinemas & fell in love a whole lot more with Patrick Swayze （I know I did）。 Life lessons brought to you by Dirty dancing！ A fun examination of a classic & the profound effect one film can have on your life。 Katie Brand is one of the Uk's funny ladies （comediennes） & this book didn't disappoint。 Everyone I know （including myself） fell in love with Dirty dancing when it hit our cinemas & fell in love a whole lot more with Patrick Swayze （I know I did）。 Life lessons brought to you by Dirty dancing！ A fun examination of a classic & the profound effect one film can have on your life。 。。。more
Julie Bennett
，
Loved it。 Funny and poignant。 For all lovers of Dirty Dancing。
Lisa Bentley
，
It was the coronavirus isolation of 2020 and everyone was stuck inside and it didn’t occur to me to mind…。okay that’s a lie。 I was bored （but safe and lucky）。 So I decided to read I Carried a Watermelon。 The reason was two-fold: 1） I like Katy Brand， I think she is funny and 2） I love Dirty Dancing。 I don’t just love Dirty Dancing， I LOVE Dirty Dancing。 It is a love that a few people have。 An obsessive love， a love in which no one can speak badly about Dirty Dancingbecause I will fall out with t It was the coronavirus isolation of 2020 and everyone was stuck inside and it didn’t occur to me to mind…。okay that’s a lie。 I was bored （but safe and lucky）。 So I decided to read I Carried a Watermelon。 The reason was two-fold: 1） I like Katy Brand， I think she is funny and 2） I love Dirty Dancing。 I don’t just love Dirty Dancing， I LOVE Dirty Dancing。 It is a love that a few people have。 An obsessive love， a love in which no one can speak badly about Dirty Dancingbecause I will fall out with them。 I got the sense （cleverly through the title of the book and the picture on the cover of Katy Brand brandishing a watermelon） that Katy Brand liked it too。I Carried a Watermelon is a fantastic memoir – it is funny， light hearted， silly in places but overall it connects with the reader through this shared love of the classic 80s film Dirty Dancing。 Brand walks you through her childhood when we relied of video cassettes with the threat of them being worn out or in Brand’s case hidden by her father， the depression – when the remake was made （I wasn’t as brave as Brand – I saw it in snippets， I couldn’t watch the whole thing）。 But through it all she has this really positive attitude and pro-women-gung-ho-ness about her。I loved it。 I genuinely couldn’t put it down and I am so very jealous that she got to go to the real life Kellerman’s resort。One thing is for sure， I will not be putting Katy Brand’s I Carried a Watermelon in the corner – that was a bit tenuous but you know what I mean。I Carried a Watermelon by Katy Brand is available now。 。。。more
Katie
，
In depth， thought provoking and interesting reading about the cultural references。 A great book if you love the film。
Shannon Quinn
，
This book was a sheer delight！！ Katy Brand is hilarious and delivers the narration perfectly。 As a die-hard Dirty Dancing fan since the age of nine （and who has watched the movie at least three dozen times since then）， this book brought me back to my love for the movie and let's be honest， Patrick Swayze。 I related SO much to the author's experience and love for the movie and many of its characters。 Just how progressive this movie was， both for the time it was supposed to take place in and the t This book was a sheer delight！！ Katy Brand is hilarious and delivers the narration perfectly。 As a die-hard Dirty Dancing fan since the age of nine （and who has watched the movie at least three dozen times since then）， this book brought me back to my love for the movie and let's be honest， Patrick Swayze。 I related SO much to the author's experience and love for the movie and many of its characters。 Just how progressive this movie was， both for the time it was supposed to take place in and the time it was filmed in， cannot be minimized。 The storyline， the way the characters were written and portrayed， and the actors chosen for each part all come together for an amazing story that has stuck with me （and many， MANY others） for decades。 Even some movies now， made when we are supposed to be much more evolved regarding social issues， could learn a thing or two from Dirty Dancing。The author's insights， introspection， and hilarious delivery are a breath of fresh air that this movie and story so deserve。 She does a deep dive into the movie and talks about things that many of us have either forgot about。 didn't notice， or hadn't realized WHY we related to so much。 I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this audiobook and will be listening to it again and again， although maybe not as many times as I will rewatch the movie， because let's face it， I would have 30 years of watching the move to catch up with。 ;-）Thank you Katy Brand， this was an absolute delight！！！！ 。。。more
Jenny
，
Aimed at devoted DD fans but some interesting points about feminism and agree the film is a great 'rite of passage' film for teen girls。 Baby Houseman is indeed a great role model。 Read with friends for fun。 Aimed at devoted DD fans but some interesting points about feminism and agree the film is a great 'rite of passage' film for teen girls。 Baby Houseman is indeed a great role model。 Read with friends for fun。 。。。more
Jess Milner
，
Aaaand now I want to watch Dirty Dancing （again。）
J Callaghan
，
A fantastic journey through dirty dancing， as a film， iconic influence and a lifestyle。 Every woman who has seen the film will enjoy and relate to this book。
Nicole Louise
，
A brilliantly funny read。 But also helps a lover of Dirty Dancing fall in love with it even more。 A key read for any woman。
Liz
，
Lovely mix of memoir and movie critique。 I adore the movie Dirty Dancing， so that's the reason I picked the book up， but Katy Brand's sense of voice was strong and engaging enough that I'll be looking for her work in the future。 Lovely mix of memoir and movie critique。 I adore the movie Dirty Dancing， so that's the reason I picked the book up， but Katy Brand's sense of voice was strong and engaging enough that I'll be looking for her work in the future。 。。。more
Samantha Rudland
，
I hadn’t watched Dirty Dancing all the way through before I received this book as a gift。 I watched it one night before I started reading the book （for context） and enjoyed it but by the end of the book I had caught the enthusiasm and appreciation。 Would highly recommend to anyone who can relate to being obsessed with a film and enjoys exploring the profound effect of this on a person。
Maddie Dutton
，
This is JOYFUL。
Violeta
，
As I started reading this book my first thought was “Wow， Katy is really crazy and obsessed with Dirty Dancing， it's nuts， she’s nuts！” and then I realised that's what people must think of me， because I had to admit it to myself: that is me。 The book is a true love letter to Dirty Dancing， it's funny， it's heartwarming， it’s gripping and it's spot on。 If you love Dirty Dancing you will get it and you will smile， laugh and nod throughout。 If you don't love Dirty Dancing you will maybe finally und As I started reading this book my first thought was “Wow， Katy is really crazy and obsessed with Dirty Dancing， it's nuts， she’s nuts！” and then I realised that's what people must think of me， because I had to admit it to myself: that is me。 The book is a true love letter to Dirty Dancing， it's funny， it's heartwarming， it’s gripping and it's spot on。 If you love Dirty Dancing you will get it and you will smile， laugh and nod throughout。 If you don't love Dirty Dancing you will maybe finally understand those of us who inexplicably do。The author says “If you fall in love early， you fall in love hard and I think I’m a little bit in love with Dirty Dancing” I too fell in love early: the first time I remember seeing Dirty Dancing I was 5。 I only remember the final dance scene， I probably only caught it towards the end （which is really for the best because I don't recommend it to a 5 year old！）。 Later， at the age of 8 I was at an HMV store and asked my parents to buy me my first non kids music CD: the single to Dirty Dancing’s "（I’ve Had） The Time of My Life"。 And 1 year later a friend from school mentioned Dirty Dancing and I just couldn't believe it。 I said "I have the cd！" and she was ecstatic。 She said she and her dad loved the song but they had never been able to record it so it had been a long time since they had last listened to it。 I taped it for her and she came back the next day saying they had danced to it on loop for hours。 Many many many years later when an ex who had cheated on me called me and said "I tried to watch Dirty Dancing and I couldn't because it reminded me of you， I miss you“ rather than feeling vindicated as any normal person would I just sat there and thought "Oh no you don't！！！ You don't get to ruin Dirty Dancing for me because it's my movie， it's not our movie， it's my movie！" I realise I’m making this review a bit too personal， but at its core this is what the book is all about， and that is what the book shows us: we （the fans） all have our personal Dirty Dancing stories， and it was a pleasure to read Katy Brand’s story。To the author， if you ever read this， from one Dirty Dancing lover to another: well done Katy， and above all thank you。 When people ask me “Why do you love Dirty Dancing？” I always say “I don't know" but Katy， thanks to you， now I do know。 Seeing it through the eyes of another fan - and being able to connect with the genuine love with which you talk （or rather， write） about the movie - I finally know: I love it because the truth is， it's bloody amazing。P。S。 Just like you I bought that watermelon cushion， just like you I'm still not sure why。 But I don't regret it one bit。 。。。more
Lynn Ashley
，
Could not have loved this book more。 Thank you Katy Brand。 You have to be a Dirty Dancing fan I would say to enjoy it。 But I loved every page。 Thank you。
Suzanne Porter
，
Brilliant for fans of Katy Brand or Dirty Dancing。 However， its pure gold for fans of both！
Ellen Stafford
，
Absolutely loved this book。 A must for Dirty Dancing fans。
Pam Cole
，