bookshelf

FITTING IN & STANDING OUT

Name: FITTING IN & STANDING OUT
Author: Jill DeBok
ISBN: 978-0-9971927-0-4

A SMART WOMAN'S GUIDE TO BUSINESS SUCCESS

by Jill DeBok ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 21, 2016

Worthwhile guidance for women aiming for the corner office.

bookshelf

A Fortune 50 executive who climbed the corporate ladder shares how young women can replicate her professional success.

When debut author DeBok embarked on her career in the early 1990s, the business world was still very much a boys’ club. Through trial and error, she learned how to deal with an often hostile environment. Now, she “offers advice on how women can work within the male culture without abandoning female strengths such as collaboration, communication and empathy.” The book covers topics like overcoming perfectionism, learning how to lead and negotiate, managing emotions, and dealing with sexual harassment. Her belief is that women must bend to a male-dominated office culture (the “fitting in” of the title) while still using their stereotypically feminine traits—like strong communication skills—to do their jobs better and get ahead, thus “standing out” from their male peers. Some of the advice is not specific to women but applies to all people who are just starting out in their careers. Readers are sensibly urged to be punctual, prepare for meetings, and seize networking opportunities. DeBok also covers issues more pertinent to women, like negotiating salary, maintaining a professional appearance, handling flirtatious co-workers and their jealous wives, and even preparing for golf outings. Though not groundbreaking, the on-point guidance should be helpful for young women pursuing jobs in conservative, traditional companies. But those in less buttoned-up fields might find the author’s perspective a bit dated. The section on how to dress doesn’t address increasingly casual work environments where jeans and sneakers, not business suits, are the norm, nor does she discuss how to get ahead in an industry where the leaders are female, not male. Also absent is advice on a critical issue for many young women: balancing a career with starting a family. While there is general talk of work-life balance, DeBok is mum on topics like maternity leave and the pros and cons of taking time off to raise kids. But when it comes to the day-to-day business of navigating the working world, there are plenty of practical lessons here.

Worthwhile guidance for women aiming for the corner office.

Pub Date: April 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-9971927-0-4

Page Count: 166

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: June 1, 2017

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.