Book Reviews
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Novel
Khaled Hosseini
ISBN 978-0-7475-8589-3
The inequalities faced by women in the West are nothing compared to life in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban. Having written “The Kite Runners” (published in 2003), about the lives of men and boys in Afghanistan, Khaled’s second novel explores the role of women. Both books are superbly written. Visual and emotional, graphic and challenging. The story covers a 30 year period in the life of Mariam who is born “harami” (out of wedlock), then married off to an elderly widower who later takes a second wife. The women wrestle with conflicting emotions between themselves, and at the same time have to cope with their brutal husband. Outside of the home, fear generated by Taliban restrictions on individuals exacerbates the difficulties faced by the women. Their unequal status gives artificial legitimacy to the poor treatment to which they are subjected. You’ll need to keep the tissues handy!
Liz St Clair
Executive Director, WiPP
Beyond the Boys' Club
Business/Self-Development
Suzanne Doyle-Morris
ISBN 978-0-9562688-0-8
It was as late at 1972 that women were forced to resign as British Ambassadors if they got married. Thank goodness, some things have changed since then! However, much remains of the “boys’ club” culture and structure in the UK workplace and women still gravitate towards a “pink collar ghetto” which offers the flexibility they need to combine work with family life. For Suzanne Doyle-Morris, “in order to win, you must play the game”. In addition to the hurdles of presenteeism, long-hours, lack of flexibility, travel demands (especially international travel), and evening networking, Suzanne points out that no career is “politics free”. Women need to identify the strategies and styles that assist them in their chosen career for example, how to be more effective in meetings, and networking with a purpose. She reminds us that in today’s work environment there are no more “jobs for life” and people will need to keep moving on to the next thing. Suzanne is a career coach and her book covers some of the many methods used to assist women, particularly at the points of moving on or up the career ladder. A timely book for those considering mentoring programmes, coaching, or even a wardrobe make-over in 2010.
Liz St Clair Executive Director,
WiPP
Brands and Branding
Business Rita Clifton et al
Marjorie Thompson C-3i.com
ISBN 978-1-905715-46-6
This collection of essays was first published in 2003, post the events at the Seattle World Trade Conference in autumn 1999 which appeared to take many commentators by surprise. Certainly at the Davos World Economic Forum in January 2000, many of the politicians and business leaders present referred to it (I was there running a session on cause related marketing - a phenomenon that had yet to take off). As Rita Clifton says in her introduction, the Economist heralded the book (which it after all published) as Pro Logo. This is because between Seattle and the book’s appearance, governments and establishment opinion formers were shaken by the anti-globalization movement; at the same time the role of international capitalism was being questioned in seminal books like Naomi Klein’s ‘No Logo.’
The update, published just last year, is a response to the near meltdown of the international financial system. Many of the contributors, and Rita Clifton herself, are acknowledged world trendsetters in the arena of branding. Practitioners will probably want to dip in and out of the book; campaigners might find Giles Gibbons and Deborah Doane’s pieces most illuminating (Gibbons runs Good Business and Deborah Doane works for WWF and is a CSR expert).
The problem is that whilst the West ‘won’ the Cold War, it squandered the years from the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 until 1999, ergo the response of the anti globalization movement. And even though there are enlightened business leaders who, like Rita Clifton, are committed environmentalists, how much was actually achieved between 1999 and 2009?
I attended a Stockholm Network Conference in 2004 at which a leading Economist columnist and his fellow panellists, denounced Corporate Social Responsibility as yet another leftist conspiracy. Whilst I think we have moved beyond that stage now, I cannot emphasise strongly enough that the situation we face is urgent, and the somewhat trite cliché ‘we are all in this together’ could not be more relevant. This is not only about climate change, but the economy and what our priorities are.
Perhaps it must be business that leads the politicians now, and for anyone who wants to get to grips with the mystique of brands and branding, this book is certainly useful.
Marjorie Ellis Thompson
Author: ” How Cause Related Marketing Builds Brands” available in paperback and in 8 languages including Chinese and Russian
www.c-3i.com
The Career Itch
Self-help
Grace Owen
ISBN 978-0-9563908-0-6
There are very few people who are fortunate enough to have found their “dream job” early on in life and practically all of us can identify with being “stuck in a rut” or “burned out” at various stages during our career.
This is a highly readable little book which provides practical solutions. The author divides the challenge into four stages which she describes as the “ITCH” – Identity, Thinking, Change and Habit. We first need to understand our personality and our way of thinking, then if necessary change it and finally “practice” our new thinking and form new habits.
The reader is taken through practical steps; small questions to think about, tips for CV writing and – perhaps most importantly in my view – Cognitive Behaviour Therapy; in other words changing the way we think about our situation. We are encouraged to think about our aspirations and what we really want in life and then given the tools to achieve.
I felt that the very first chapter was the most important – “Know Thyself”. We all have a “personal brand” and a USP and in my opinion too few people take the trouble to take a good hard look at themselves.
This book has been described as a “wake-up call” and that is what Grace Owen seeks to achieve in her readers. I wish that I had found this book earlier in my working life and can recommend it unhesitatingly to others.
Sally Roberts
Eve Was Framed
Law/Gender Studies
Helena Kennedy
ISBN 0-09-922441-0
This is a fascinating book about the treatment of women in the British justice system. It asks the question: Do women get a fair deal? The answer is a resounding “No”. The book was published in 1992 – nearly a generation ago – but many of the issues examined (depressingly) remain almost the same today. The cultural attitudes and expectations of both men and women towards women and girls means that the inequalities persist. If anything is to change, then both men and women need to re-examine their own perspectives about “bad girls”. Such examination could lead to a change in attitudes towards women in other environments too. For example, the housing officer who thinks a badly behaved woman should be punished, but a badly behaved man needs help. The office manager who thinks a vocal woman is a trouble-maker but the vocal man is a problem-solver. This book should be compulsory reading for all Jurors.
Liz St Clair
Executive Director, WiPP
Lady Worsley's Whim
Historical Novel
Hallie Rubenhold
ISBN 9780099494263
Set in the late 18th century this is a magnificent reconstruction of a story of a great scandal: he was a handsome baronet in parliament and she was a spirited young heiress. The story of Sir Richard and Lady Worsley was the first to harness the power of newspapers, cartoons and other publications to wage a war against one another that rocked society at the time and could be described as the first celebrity divorce case. Hallie Rubenhold’s account of the elopement in particular is gripping as she takes us through precarious country lanes in a carriage at break-neck speed to Pall Mall.
As a cuckolded husband Sir Richard claimed damages of £20,000 which would have ruined his adversary, George Bisset. However, in an astonishing week of witness statements in court, the jury decided that the claim was not worthy of this. Amid claims of sexual voyeurism and other perversions they ended up awarding him what they felt he deserved: a total sum of one shilling. The price of a pound of soap.
All hopes of an amicable settlement were therefore dashed and Sir Richard proceeded to keep his wife’s clothes, jewels and her only child out of her reach, while he travelled the world in search of art treasures.
Hallie Rubenhold is painstaking in her research and her accurate portrayal of society at the time when women walked a knife-edged existence between social success, public disgrace, grinding poverty and fabulous wealth. It is a fascinating read and a fast page-turner.
Melissa Crawshay-Williams
www.cfcconline.org.uk
PERSONAL BRANDING - The competitive edge
e-book
Louise Mowbray - louise@mowbraybydesign.com
Personal Branding - The Competitive Edge is described as a ‘step by step guide to greater recognition and success’ but using the book in the way Louise Mowbray intended, it becomes much more of a personal journey. Louise traces the start of ‘personal branding’ to an article written by Tom Peters in 1997, but points out that the concept is not new. We brand each other constantly, and it’s all happening whether you are managing the process or not – for me one of the most valuable insights is that if you are not creating your own brand someone else will be doing it for you. Louise identifies four key principles of successful personal brands: they are compelling, authentic, consistent and well-known. All of these apply to truly global personal brands - Mandela, Madonna, Branson – we know who they are, what they do, what they stand for....and they need only one name.
Louise underpins a series of practical exercises designed to help the reader identify their ‘brand’ with convincing and relevant case studies from her work with clients who are usually seeking either to gain a competitive advantage or to manage change. I found some of the exercises challenging but always useful, and I did end up with a clearer view of how others perceive my ‘brand’. The ultimate goal is for the reader to develop, own and manage their public persona to create the brand they’d like to have! I would recommend it to anyone seeking to enhance their career prospects or business effectiveness.
Susan McGrath Director,
Real Solutions
The Silent Female Scream
Gender Studies/Self-Help
Rosjke Hasseldine
ISBN 978-0-9557104-0-7
Are women ‘heard, valued and respected’ in western society? The Silent Female Scream argues that there is still room for considerable improvement. Rosjke Hasseldine, relationship consultant and psychotherapist, traces her personal journey through childhood to motherhood, as she brings into focus the struggles women face in order to be recognised, or even contented, in what is still a male-dominated world. Insightful and revealing analysis about female marginalisation is derived from autobiographical descriptions of her father’s withdrawal, animosity from her mother, strains in relationships and final break with her family after years of difficulty and depression. The often less dramatic tensions which are present in almost all women’s lives benefit from comparison with Hasseldine’s story and the case studies she uses; unequal gender dynamics are not only perpetuated by men, but also by the women who conform to complacent male expectation, as well as those who feel unable to speak out. The three parts of the book identify why women’s voices are stifled, ways that their voices can be reclaimed, and finally, how such empowerment leads to stronger and more successful relationships. Hasseldine examines the compromises which arise as a daughter, professional, friend, and mother; of particular interest is her analysis of the mother-son relationship which too often goes ignored. The end of each chapter poses a series of questions which encourages honest reflection about one’s own attitudes and behaviour; the book made me realise how often I ignore my true feelings and fail to question unfavourable situations. The Silent Female Scream celebrates the value of womanhood; it is perhaps wishful thinking to hope that men too might read Hasseldine’s important and persuasive message.
Kate Womersley
Cambridge
Transforming Global Higher Education
A feminist perspective Academic Lecture
Professor Miriam David
ISBN 978-085473-856-4
Miriam David asks has higher education been transformative over the last 3 decades? This question is double-edged, based upon a reprise of her education and social research. What influences have second wave feminists, drawing on feminism as the key social movement of the twentieth century had on the pedagogies and practices in global higher education?
Aspiring academics, aimed for gender and social justice through inclusive pedagogies in higher education or lifelong learning. Ideas about inclusive pedagogies have begun to percolate into forms of mass higher education in the 21st century, linked to widening access and participation in higher education. Yet the expansion of higher education and the knowledge economy has been more about transforming global labour markets than it has been about social or gender justice. Higher education has indeed expanded and afforded diverse opportunities for participation as students and as researchers or academics yet these transformations maintain systemic inequalities.
