Bookshelf — Digital and Physical

Books, journal articles, investigative journalism, blog posts- we're gathering a host of resources. Check back often, and please feel free to suggest additions to the library. Click on the images to get to Amazon.

Workplace & society focused books

Feminist Fight Club

Talk and commiseration is great. But Feminist Fight Club marries that with, as they say, "practical, no bullshit advice for how to combat today's sexism".  Ask your local indie bookseller to order a copy in for you. Get a few copies to hand out to junior colleagues.

Blind spot

Our work must be intersectional: white women cannot advance in the workplace at the expense of our peers of color, and we cannot advance stories of white girls and women in popular culture without also putting forward stories of all gender identities, races, religions, sexual orientations, and abilities. Blind Spot is especially useful for those new to considering intersectionality, privilege, and inherent bias.

The diversity advantage

Ruthlessly researched and casting a wide net both within the US and globally, The Diversity Advantage focuses on the economic arguments for increasing gender diversity and nurturing female talent in today's global economy.

Everyday Bias

Used in a wide variety of federal anti-bias workshops in the Obama era, Everyday Bias is a workmanlike wake-up call- and has a useful, sold-separately workbook. This is the kind of book you might consider deploying as part of executive education.

What works

Iris Bohnet is a behavioral economist — a professor at Harvard, Director of the Women and Public Policy Program, and Co-Chair of the Behavioral Insights Group at the Kennedy School of Government. In short, she's a badass after our own hearts. What Works is a data-driven tour-de-force making the argument that we need to de-bias our institutions and structures. Particularly good reading for those in strategic roles, HR teams, or who already have the keys to the executive washroom.

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office

This is a classic, by Lois Frankel. The revised edition is slightly updated, and the book admittedly has some weak points- intersectional, it is not. It does, however, provide a good 'are you doing this?' self gut-check about a wide variety of behaviors. 

Lean In

A classic pretty much the moment it was published (and when Sheryl Sandberg hit the ground running on her promotional tour). Whether or not you agree with her, this book raised the conversation about gender in the workplace into the national consciousness. Sandberg took a lot of heat for her privilege and how it was reflected in parts of the book- and accordingly, you should read her searingly honest Mother's Day post written three years after the publication of Lean In and one year after the sudden death of her husband, in which she owns up to her previously narrow worldview.

The End of Men

A WaPo Notable Nonfiction Book for 2012, The End of Men: And the Rise of Women expands on Hanna Roisin's groundbreaking Atlantic article. It might feel a little disheartening, in a way, to read this in light of a certain big glass ceiling not breaking in 2016, but it is still a valuable perspective.

Sexism in America

Published in 2009, Sexism in America: Alive, Well, and Ruining Our Future by Barbara Berg is still, shall we say, extremely salient today. If it's been a long time since you took a women's history class- or, if you never had a women's history or gender studies class- this is a great longitudinal read. Fair warning: likely to make you want to throw things.

Personal Growth & Self-Discovery focused books

Big Fat Lies Women Tell Themselves

Unlike some of the other books, Big Fat Lies Women Tell Themselves: Ditch your Inner Critic and Wake Up Your Inner Superstar by Amy Ahlers is really focused on the individual and habits women do to themselves. It obviously dovetails with how we present ourselves and engage at the workplace, but this take on self-sabotage and other destructive issues focuses on the personal, not the societal.

Daring Greatly

Brene Brown is widely known for her powerful talks and insightful writing. Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead is no exception. Especially for those of us who came of age in business being told we had to be strong, powerful, confident, 'one of the guys', and do it all while simultaneously being supermoms (and then got called bossy, bitchy, mean, a ball-buster, etc while also being judged for our decisions to have or not have children), this book and its take on the need to be vulnerable can be a real mental game changer.

Articles, Blogs, & Links Oh My

Ashley Bouder in Marie Claire

Ashley Bouder is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, and the founder/force behind The Ashley Bouder Project. In "Ballet Has a Sexism Problem", she discusses how she undertook the project in response to gender inequality in choreographers.

New to intersectionality? Never really thought about systemic racism or your role in fighting it? Ijeoma Oluo is editor-at-large at The Establishment, and an important voice in contemporary conversations about feminism, race, mental health, and more. And she pulls absolutely no punches. "Welcome to the Anti-Racism Movement — Here's What You've Missed" is a vital read for would-be allies new to that fight. 

An oldie but goodie, from the WSJ, "Women Tell Women: Life In Top Jobs is Worth the Effort" predates mainstream conversations about intersectionality and microaggressions, but does broach the tendency of women to downplay their strengths or prune back their own opportunities too soon. 

If you are not following Monica O. Montgomery in all her amazing forms (MuseumHue, Museum of Impact, and more) you need to be. She's a thought leader in advancing professionals of color in cultural attractions, the arts, and the creative economy in general. 

Although the focus is on tech, Inclusion Done Right by TC Currie is an insightful look into the effects of an inclusive, not just diverse, workplace. Great language to explain the difference between diversity and inclusion, and some very granular examples of putting inclusion into practice in the workplace.

There's a flurry of info coming out regarding gender inequity in certain segments. That's great data to have, and we are gathering it all over here.