I bought this book with so much excitement and devoured it with the dedication of a new convert proceeded to drop quotes and enthuse to everyone I met how profoundly the book challenged me to think deeper and pushed me to begin daring to do things that always scared me to inertia. I was blissfully spreading the Lean In Gospel until one would be recipient of the gospel advised me never to mention the book to feminists. On inquiry I received a link of bell hook article titled Dig Deep: Beyond Lean In and was grateful for her advice.
However, after reading the very enlightening article and the lengthy responses, I still felt the same way I had felt about the book. See, this is one of those books with multiple messages for the individual. Whether she failed to exhaust whatever topic isn’t important to me as an individual reader, what is important is that I was able to relate to most of the themes she tackles.
In Lean In, Sandberg examines why women progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers compelling, commonsense solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential. She digs deeper into these issues, combining personal anecdotes, hard data, and compelling research to cut through the layers of ambiguity and bias surrounding the lives and choices of working women.
She recounts her own decisions, mistakes, and daily struggles to make the right choices for herself, her career, and her family. She provides practical advice on negotiation techniques, mentorship, and building a satisfying career, urging women to set boundaries and to abandon the myth of ôhaving it all.öá She describes specific steps women can take to combine professional achievement with personal fulfillment and demonstrates how men can benefit by supporting women in the workplace and at home.
Sandberg is the chief operating officer of Facebook and is ranked on Fortune’s list of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Business and as one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World.
This is a book I recommend for people who are apolitical in their literary choices. If you can drown out the voices of what she didnÆt do right, then you will enjoy it as much as I did.
