Appealingly packaged and readable but lacking in depth.
CEOs are often portrayed as men, and this volume helps rectify the balance by focusing on successful women leaders from a range of industries.
Readers meet 31 women who serve as CEOs of companies such as Spanx, Mitú, 23andMe, and Minted. Jessica O. Matthews, of Uncharted Power, a green energy company, got the germ for her idea while attending a family wedding in Nigeria and experiencing a power outage. A project for a class at Harvard led to the prototype for her company, which is grounded in her personal belief in giving back to communities. Like her, all the women in this book found ways to turn their ideas and dreams into success stories. Beyond just data and numbers, readers learn fun details about their personal lives (favorite candy, favorite childhood book), habits that make them successful, and advice they would share with their teen selves. Each approximately seven-page profile features eye-catching graphics, including bold, full-color portraits. The tone is relentlessly upbeat, and while the range of women featured is reasonably diverse and some volunteer stories about facing barriers to success, little effort is made to deliberately engage with systemic obstacles relating to gender, race, socio-economic status, or other factors that readers may encounter. The final chapters offer general encouragement and guidance on creating a business plan and elevator pitch, managing finances, and other necessary skills.
Appealingly packaged and readable but lacking in depth. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-984893-05-5
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
Fans of all things martial will echo his “HOOYAH!”—but the troubled aftermath comes in for some attention too.
Abridged but not toned down, this young-readers version of an ex-SEAL sniper’s account (SEAL Team Six, 2011) of his training and combat experiences in Operation Desert Storm and the first Battle of Mogadishu makes colorful, often compelling reading.
“My experiences weren’t always enjoyable,” Wasdin writes, “but they were always adrenaline-filled!” Not to mention testosterone-fueled. He goes on to ascribe much of his innate toughness to being regularly beaten by his stepfather as a child and punctuates his passage through the notoriously hellacious SEAL training with frequent references to other trainees who fail or drop out. He tears into the Clinton administration (whose “support for our troops had sagged like a sack of turds”), indecisive commanders and corrupt Italian “allies” for making such a hash of the entire Somalian mission. In later chapters he retraces his long, difficult physical and emotional recovery from serious wounds received during the “Black Hawk Down” operation, his increasing focus on faith and family after divorce and remarriage and his second career as a chiropractor.
Fans of all things martial will echo his “HOOYAH!”—but the troubled aftermath comes in for some attention too. (acronym/ordinance glossary, adult level reading list) (Memoir. 12-14)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-250-01643-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Readers will find answers to basic questions about Muslims, yet they might not understand the bigger picture if they don’t...
Ali-Karamali offers plenty of anecdotes about growing up Muslim in America in a conversational tone that is undermined by poor organization.
The work explores a range of questions that non-Muslims might have about followers of Islam. Ranging from a discussion of Muslim holidays or the kinds of clothes worn by Muslims to the development of Islam, the author explains these topics in a friendly, engaging manner. She provides several examples of Muslim practices around the world, going beyond her American experiences to reflect Islam’s diversity. Chapters are organized into three fact-filled sections on beliefs and practices, the development of Islam and current Muslim demographics. Unfortunately, beginning with the practical questions about food, fasting and fashion delays important concepts such as how jihad is not equivalent to terrorism and whether Islam mandates women wear face veils (in a word, no). Compounding this basic conceptual flaw, this organizational choice necessitates clunky references to later chapters. Moreover, it is not until Chapter 4 that cited figures or quotes are provided references, an example of sloppy scholarship.
Readers will find answers to basic questions about Muslims, yet they might not understand the bigger picture if they don’t hang in until the end. (notes, bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 12-16)Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-385-74095-1
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: June 19, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
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