Review by Booklist Review
Journalist Bennett was part of a circle of female friends who started meeting to complain about their jobs. The women quickly realized that the bulk of their problems stemmed from sexist behavior, and the gatherings became less bitch sessions, more call-to-action meetings. Bennett shares what she's learned, hoping to give women the confidence to speak up and fight the patriarchy. There's plenty of humor here, to be sure, but there is a lot of practical and useful information, too. Just because there is a snarky chart describing the five types of Manterrupter (including the Dismisser and the Ass Kisser) doesn't mean that the point of the chart is any less true: these are the types of men women encounter regularly at work. The book is designed with short, choppy chapters that readers can dip in and out of, and is peppered with comical illustrations, adding to the fun factor. But don't let that casual tone fool you. Bennett is on a mission to reform today's workplaces, and this manifesto just might be the weapon modern women are looking for.--Vnuk, Rebecca Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In 2009, journalist Bennett, who now writes about gender and culture for the New York Times, founded the Feminist Fight Club with a group of 11 career-minded women living in N.Y.C. to discuss their professional setbacks and successes battling sexism on the job, and many of these experiences are recounted here. Bringing levity to common frustrations, Bennett lists ways (or "fight moves") to combat the bad behavior of workplace-perpetrator archetypes such as the "manterrupter" ("he who won't shut up") and the "bropropriator" (he who "appropriates credit for another's work"). She gives advice on avoiding coffee fetching and "office housework" and hacks away at sexist stereotypes with discussions on such issues as the fine line between assertive and aggressive. A language lesson explores minimizing speech patterns such as up-speak, hedging, and vocal fry. Tips on self-confidence boosting are punctuated with quotations from Tina Fey, Michelle Obama, and other successful women giving career advice to women. It is saddening that the problems described by the book persist, but Bennett's light approach and humorous neologisms make fighting the power a lot more palatable. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
