Each month Abington Library will feature a favorite book from a faculty, staff member, or student. They will give a brief synopsis of their chosen book.
Nancy Riethoff is the Merchandising Coordinator at ASU-Beebe.
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead is a nonfiction book by Sheryl Sandberg that I recently read and truly enjoyed. Sheryl Sandberg is Facebook’s Chief Operation Officer, a position which allows one a glimpse from this successful woman’s lofty perspective. I found it charming that even from way up high, her positioning was as down to earth as they come. She positively, yet realistically, addresses issues that are all too familiar for women in the workplace. She speaks on women’s lower confidence levels in the workplace, reluctance to “sit at the table” when it comes to seizing opportunities, barriers of sexism, difficulties of career and family balancing, and much more.
One of the chapter’s focus is on the importance of having a partner in life who truly wants equality and balance in the relationship. Sandberg herself has chosen a life partner who supports her professional ambitions and participates in all aspects of sharing responsibilities of home and family. Typically, I only read books that have been recommended to me, and this was no exception. It was my husband who recommended I read this book, as he watched her Ted Talk. He found her message to be profound, but also foreign, since he has all the privileges of being a white male in the workforce. He knows me to be a strong minded woman, who does not shy away from the pursuit of equality, and he sincerely wanted insight into a perspective to which he knew I would relate. I am very fortunate to have also found such a partner in life who sees the need for equality and the value of understanding other perspectives in the world.
This is an enjoyable, easy read that offers valuable insight into the world of a woman in the modern workplace. It reminds readers how far we’ve come, without neglecting to shed light on how much further we must go in our reach for equality.
