Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead in Ultimate Popsugar Reading Challenge

Jul 04, 2017 Megan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, american-stories, contemporary, feminist-themes, popsugar-reading-challenge-2017

I selected this for the 2017 PopSugar Reading Challenge prompt "A book with career advice." While there were parts of the book that did not resonate with me, I thought that some of the observations and comments were spot on. The first few chapters spoke to me more than the later chapters that dealt with being a married working mom. I wasn't bothered by the fact that she included them since that's what she is and she passed on some useful points. It was more the fact that some of the advice would I selected this for the 2017 PopSugar Reading Challenge prompt "A book with career advice." While there were parts of the book that did not resonate with me, I thought that some of the observations and comments were spot on. The first few chapters spoke to me more than the later chapters that dealt with being a married working mom. I wasn't bothered by the fact that she included them since that's what she is and she passed on some useful points. It was more the fact that some of the advice would be great if you could afford to hire a nanny or if you had an employer that offered flexible work hours or if you weren't a single parent. As someone who has conducted hiring interviews and participated in recruitment events for my employer, I was taken aback by the fact she asks questions about pregnancy intentions since that is a big no-no. While I see her point about bringing that out into the open and making it clear that her company is supportive of employees who decide to have children, I would be very uncomfortable if I were asked about that in an interview. I'd see that as an invasion of my privacy and possibly as a suggestion that I might be treated differently if I chose not to, or could not, have a child. Don't single folks deserve to have work-life balance too? I'd also wonder if a male applicant was being asked about his intentions to have children or how someone dealing with infertility challenges might feel if put on the spot like that.

I greatly appreciated the fact that in the introduction, the author acknowledged that parts of the book would likely resonate more with working women who have more choices available to them, while other parts would be more universally accessible. I tried to keep that in mind for the chapters that did not apply to my own situation. The research that was woven in gave more credence to points that could have come off as opinions without something to back it up. The sourcing was excellent and provided good context throughout the book. The edition of the book I read included a reading group guide, which I found helpful and caused me to reflect on the material on my own. While I likely would not have read this book if not for the reading challenge, I'm glad I gave it a try. ...more

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Aug 01, 2013 Anastasia rated it really liked it

Shelves: current-events, non-fiction, womens-issues, 2013, transition

Sandberg's book gave me a lot to think about, even while highlighting a lot of things I have long known about. The book seems less applicable to women who don't work in a corporate environment (as well as women who do not want to), but still, it's a positive call to all women to come sit at the table. ...more

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May 08, 2014 Katrina rated it it was amazing

I found she had great insight and advice for women, both in and out of the work force. We can all find areas to "lean in" in our own lives. ...more

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May 21, 2014 shannon rated it really liked it

Shelves: tri-sigma-book-club

This is an eye-opening call to action, not just for women in the work place, but for every person who aspires to attain a leadership position for themselves or for their children, female or male.

My favorite quotes:

"A truly equal world would be one where women ran half our countries and companies and men ran half our homes."

“In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders.”

...more

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May 07, 2013 Booktart marked it as to-read

Shelves: womens-rights

I've been reading a lot of nonfiction lately and I think I'm getting into more of a fiction mood so I'll have to go back to this another time. ...more

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