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Iron Butterflies: Women Transforming Themselves and the World
A profound transition is taking place in our society, a revolution that is largely hidden, and led predominantly by women. A society once based on domination and power over others is beginning to crumble as an era of cooperation and community emerges, founded on the principle that power should only be exercised with and for others. This is the inspiring, central message of...more
Paperback, 299 pages
Published
April 27th 2010
by Prometheus Books
(first published 2010)
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(This review is by me but was originally posted on Elevate Difference).
In the eternal question of nature versus nurture, author and developmental psychologist Birute Regine leans comfortably towards nature. She embraces “feminine” qualities and calls for women the world over to do the same. While the anecdotes and reflections she chooses to share are indeed compelling and inspirational, the book as a whole can be off-putting if you do not necessarily prescribe to the idea of gendered personality...more
In the eternal question of nature versus nurture, author and developmental psychologist Birute Regine leans comfortably towards nature. She embraces “feminine” qualities and calls for women the world over to do the same. While the anecdotes and reflections she chooses to share are indeed compelling and inspirational, the book as a whole can be off-putting if you do not necessarily prescribe to the idea of gendered personality...more
Birute Regine
Iron Butterflies
http://www.ironbutterflies.com
This author's current email signature sums up this book in one line: "When sleeping women wake, mountains move." Chinese proverb
I came across this book and downloaded the first free chapter to consider it before I purchased. I devoured the first chapter and knew I needed the book, fast.
Although this book is written to speak to women in business, it affects all women and can walk you through the transitions from what the author refers to...more
Iron Butterflies
http://www.ironbutterflies.com
This author's current email signature sums up this book in one line: "When sleeping women wake, mountains move." Chinese proverb
I came across this book and downloaded the first free chapter to consider it before I purchased. I devoured the first chapter and knew I needed the book, fast.
Although this book is written to speak to women in business, it affects all women and can walk you through the transitions from what the author refers to...more
So far, I'm finding all of the women's words to be direct and inspiring, and there are actually a few examples of women who came to the "Iron Butterfly" mentality from the beginning, like Jody Williams and Ada, to serve as instruction. They come close to the opposite mentality when they muse about whether being more "like men" would have saved them some trouble, but they don't actually follow the "gladiator" model.
That said, the middle of the book (where I am now) is full of stories of women who...more
That said, the middle of the book (where I am now) is full of stories of women who...more
I was very disappointed with this book. I ordered it from the library expecting stories of individual women who have made a significant impact in the world. Instead, author Regine uses anecdotes from interviews to highlight a not-particularly-original discussion of the challenges of women achieving positions of influence in what is still largely a man's world -- particularly when they started out. There is no question that there are still double-standards for women, and that there are better, he...more
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I was a little disappointed. I was able to hear the author speak at my work one time for a Women's Network event and had decided to pick up the book from listening to her talk. What I hadn't realized was that she had pulled the most interesting and valuable lessons out of the book for her talk. Some interesting stories about women but no real lessons. I agree that the issues she relayed are the issues women continue to face but there were no real lessons learned or calls to action. I was just ho...more
An important book. I read this book as part of a local Women's Success Series. My biggest criticism of the book is that the stories of the sixty women Dr. Birute Regine interviewed are buried within dense statistics and, for lack of a better term, feminine rhetoric. For me, the stories we'd lost. My next criticism stems with the feminist rhetoric, which at times, I felt bordered on male bashing. Being married to an enlightened man and having raised an enlightened and sensitive 21year-old son, I...more
I wanted to like this book more than I did. After I heard the author give a talk, I was expecting a really ground breaking, inspirational book about how women can take a leadership role in their communities. The premise and individual stories are all interesting, but somehow it didn't add up for me. For one thing, I feel like almost all of the women came to the "iron butterfly" model after having built up a career on the "gladiator" model, and nowhere is it addressed that these women had all ear...more
By pulling together vignettes of successful women-- successful in the sense that they have business and/or political leadership positions, a domain held largely by men-- Regine makes her case that behaviors our culture labels "feminine," such as showing and acknowledging vulnerability, encouraging collaboration, fostering a "we're all in this together" team spirit, etc., have a positive impact on how business and government gets stuff accomplished.
Such incredibly inspiring stories of more than 50 women leaders from all over the world who share their struggles, how they overcame discrimination, and the feminine strengths that empowered them to be leaders of influence in transforming the world.
Vulnerability and feminine power at its finest!
Vulnerability and feminine power at its finest!
Extremely inspiring and beneficial to all women who want to make a change in the world, to all future leaders. Touching true stories from a variety of extraordinary women.
Aug 03, 2011
Amy
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Putting this one away for now.
Perhaps I will pick it back up later.
Perhaps I will pick it back up later.
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