What To Read Instead Of Tina Brown’s Picks For The Modern Woman

Books

What To Read Instead Of Tina Brown’s Picks For The Modern Woman

12:30 pm, September 20th | by Terri Ciccone

Tina Brown, editor of The Daily Beast and Newsweek, is certainly a force to be reckoned with in the media world. However, her recent book recommendations for NPR’s “Must Reads for the Modern Woman” seemed a bit…inaccessible. I found myself questioning if these books really are the best ones for the “modern woman,” as their subject matter is all rather narrow. They may be great books, but here are a few alternatives that I think our modern women friends might like a bit more.

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1.Brown's Pick: The Good Girls Revolt, by Lynn Povich

<strong>Brown's Pick:</strong> <em>The Good Girls Revolt</em>, by Lynn Povich

Brown’s pick is a juicy and extremely empowering true story about a class action lawsuit filed by female employees in the 1970s against Newsweek for hindering their ability to grow in the company. At the time, women were only allowed to work as researchers or fact checkers, a huge problem for talented ladies looking to be writers or editors. While we owe a debt of gratitude to these women for helping to pave the way for us, our battles today look a bit different.

2.My Pick: How Remarkable Women Lead by Joanna Barsh, Susie Cranston and Geoffrey Lewis

<strong>My Pick:</strong> <em>How Remarkable Women Lead</em> by Joanna Barsh, Susie Cranston and Geoffrey Lewis

How Remarkable Women Lead is a book of tips for women in the workforce based on five years of research (five very recent years, that is) and teaches valuable lessons through stories from women currently or recently in leadership positions at companies like Avon, Morgan Stanley and Google.

3.My Pick: She’s a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll, by Gillian G. Gaar

<strong>My Pick:</strong> <em>She’s a Rebel: The History of Women in Rock and Roll</em>, by Gillian G. Gaar

If you are still looking for something with a historical background but perhaps a bit more lively than a lawsuit, try Gillian G. Gaar’s She’s a Rebel. With a foreword written by none other than artist and activist Yoko Ono, this book provides an empowering women’s history lesson with an edge. Arranged chronologically, it takes a look back at women killing it on stage in a male dominated profession, dating from 1950’s R&B singers to rockers from the 80s, all the way to current lady crooners Sheryl Crow, Mariah Carey and Björk.

4.Brown's Pick: The End Of Men (And The Rise Of Women), by Hanna Rosin

<strong>Brown's Pick:</strong> <em>The End Of Men (And The Rise Of Women)</em>, by Hanna Rosin

Brown’s pick really is fascinating — the book covers some key reasons for how and why Rosin rose quickly in her job while her husband, who was recently laid off, became far less adaptable and haunted by his own idea of the man he used to be, handicaps that stood in his own way of finding new work.

5.My Pick: The Daddy Shift: How Stay-at-Home Dads, Breadwinning Moms, and Shared Parenting Are Transforming the American Family, by Jeremy A. Smith

<strong>My Pick:</strong> <em>The Daddy Shift: How Stay-at-Home Dads, Breadwinning Moms, and Shared Parenting Are Transforming the American Family</em>, by Jeremy A. Smith

While The End of Men does in fact look at several couples to support some of Rosin’s theories, The Daddy Shift looks at couples from all walks of life, from different economic backgrounds, different ethnicities, and different parts of the country, and tells their stories intimately while infusing the chapters with data to show the evolution of the American family structure. While Brown’s pick seems to suggest a sudden change of gender roles, and the end to some kind of era that portends very negatively for men, The Daddy Shift promotes and embraces more flexible gender roles.

6.Brown's Pick: Disappearing Mothers, by Katie Roiphe

<strong>Brown's Pick:</strong> <em>Disappearing Mothers</em>, by Katie Roiphe

Roiphe's article in the Financial Times is certainly worth a read — have you gone on Facebook recently to see that many of your friends have changed their profile picture to a picture of their child? While it may not seem like a big deal, the book talks about the growing trend of mothers using the social network not to promote their own social persona as the platform is intended, but to apologize for themselves by hiding behind their kids. Roiphe believes this is a “commentary on women’s self identity,” and that “while children are an important achievement, they shouldn't define you.”

7.My Pick: PunditMom’s Mothers of Intention: How Women & Social Media Are Revolutionizing Politics in America, by Joanne C. Bamberger

<strong>My Pick:</strong> PunditMom’s Mothers of Intention: How Women & Social Media Are Revolutionizing Politics in America</em>, by Joanne C. Bamberger

To take that idea a step further, we chose Punditmom’s Mothers of Intention, which covers women’s growing influence in politics and activism using social media. The book recognizes that women outnumber men on many social platforms, and sheds light on how these networks have enabled women, especially mothers, to become even more of a voice and force in politics.